Cessna 207 accident near Yakutat, Alaska, July 29, 1992
On July 29, 1992 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N7ME, was destroyed in an accident near Yakutat, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT ELECTED TO FLY AN IMPROPER ALTITUDE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PILOTS ATTEMPT TO FLY VFR INTO IMC CONDITIONS, AND THE OBSCURED WEATHER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1992 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Yakutat, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N7ME · registry record · serial 20700263
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CRASH OCCURRED AT THE 1100 FOOT LEVEL OF A MOUNTAINSIDE WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING A COURSE ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO THE MOUNTAIN RANGE. MARGINAL WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED FOR THE AREA. THE PILOT'S 22-YEAR-OLD SON STATED THAT IN THOSE TYPE WEATHER CONDITIONS HIS FATHER WOULD ROUTINELY CLIMB UP INTO THE SOUP. SET A LORAN COURSE FOR HOME, AND SIT BACK AND RELAX. WHEN CLOSE TO HOME HE WOULD DESCEND TO VFR CONDITIONS OVER THE FLAT COASTAL AREA AND LAND.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 265 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 9,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,292 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 2, 1992; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Gulf Air Taxi
The flight
- Departed from: Dry Bay AK at 11:10 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:58 am from YAK, 30 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.