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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1991 · about 5:20 pm local time · cases in 1991
- 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 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9651M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9651M on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 207 Skywagon 207 115 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F 80 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ralph Wien Memorial · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N9651M 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC91LA027.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.