Cessna 207 accident near Kivalina, Alaska, February 10, 1991
On February 10, 1991 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N9651M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kivalina, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE IN NOT IDENTIFYING THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ALONG THE ROUTE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS IMPROPER IN FLIGHT PLANNING AND DECISION BY THE PIC AND THE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1991 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Kivalina, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N9651M · registry record · serial 207A00715
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS AT 700 MSL WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED A COMPLETE WHITEOUT CONDITION. AT THE TIME OF THE WHITEOUT CONDITION, HE BELIEVED HE WAS WEST OVER THE OCEAN. A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE AT THE 700 FOOT LEVEL.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,811 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 2,633 as pilot in command; 1,810 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,084 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 2, 1991; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: OTZ Kotzebue AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9651M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC91LA027.