Cessna 207 accident near Saint Marys, Alaska, March 27, 1991
On March 27, 1991 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N9968M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Saint Marys, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN VFR FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WHILE MANEUVERING ON A VFR FLIGHT PLAN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PIC'S FAILURE TO EVALUATE THE WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1991 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Saint Marys, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N9968M · no longer on the register · serial 20700268
- 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 WAS CONDUCTING A VFR FLIGHT AT 500 FEET AGL IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. A TURN WAS INITIATED TO REVERSE COURSE BACK TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WHEN THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT CONDITIONS (WHITEOUT), AND SUBSEQUENTLY COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 1,450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,636 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 24, 1991; 59 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: KOT Kotlik AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.