Cessna 207 accident near Mcgrath, Alaska, December 22, 1991
On December 22, 1991 at about 10:36 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N6390H, was destroyed in an accident near Mcgrath, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S IMPROPER INFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION AND HIS ATTEMPT TO FLY VFR THROUGH IMC CONDITIONS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE SNOW, WHITEOUT CONDITIONS, AND DARKNESS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1991 · about 10:36 pm local time
- Place
- Mcgrath, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N6390H · no longer on the register · serial 20700507
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF HALFWAY MOUNTAIN HEADING APPROXIMATELY 270 DEGREES AT THE 1600 FOOT LEVEL. THE ACCIDENT SITE IS LOCATED WITHIN TWO MILES OF THE INITIAL APPROACH FIX FOR THE LOCALIZER/DME RUNWAY 16 APPROACH AT MCGRATH. THE MEA FOR THE DME ARC IS LISTED AS 3600 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. THE SECTOR OBSTRUCTION CLEARANCE ALTITUDE IS LISTED AS 3100 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. WEATHER FOR THE AREA, AIRMET SIERRA, INDICATED THAT MOUNTAIN TOPS WOULD BE OBSCURED AND THAT CEILINGS WOULD OCCASIONALLY BE 1500 FEET BROKEN. THERE WERE REPORTS OF SNOWSHOWERS IN THE AREA OF SUFFICIENT INTENSITY THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW THE SEARCH AIRCRAFT TO FLY THROUGH THE SNOWSHOWERS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,015 hours in all; 188 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 1,741 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,979 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 27, 1991; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F17B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Markair Express INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 5NI Nikolai AK at 10:20 pm
- Destination: MCG Mcgrath AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: -6°F (-21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from MCG, 17 miles away
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.