Cessna 207 accident near Montague Island, Alaska, November 6, 1992
On November 6, 1992 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N1686U, was destroyed in an accident near Montague Island, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INTENTIONAL VFR DEPARTURE INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND THE COMPANY CHIEF PILOT'S FAILURE TO EXERCISE ADEQUATE SUPERVISION. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 1992 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Montague Island, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N1686U · no longer on the register · serial 20700286
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS WAS 1 OF 2 COMPANY AIRPLANES THAT HAD LANDED ON A BEACH TO PICK UP HUNTERS FOR A RETURN TRIP TO SEWARD. THE OTHER AIRPLANE, A CESSNA 206, WAS FLOWN BY THE COMPANY CHIEF PILOT. THE WITNESSES IN THE CESSNA 206 SAID THAT THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE TOOK OFF 5 MIN BEFORE THEIR CESSNA 206 AND 'DISAPPEARED INTO THE WEATHER AND WAS NEVER SEEN AGAIN.' THEY DESCRIBED THE WEATHER AT THE BAY & ALONG THE ROUTE TO SEWARD TO BE 400-600 FT CEILINGS & VISIBILITY APRX 1 MI IN FOG. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 6 MI WEST OF THE TAKEOFF POINT AT AN ELEVATION OF 1,000 FT IN MOUNTAINOUS 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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,734 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 113 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 4,734 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,291 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 15, 1993; 180 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F13B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Harbor Air Service
The flight
- Destination: SWD Seward AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 28 knots, gusting 38
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N1686U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.