Cessna 207A accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, March 10, 1995
On March 10, 1995 at about 11:45 am local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N6478H, was destroyed in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE FOG AND LOW CEILINGS, AND A FAILURE OF THE OPERATOR TO FOLLOW THEIR PROCEDURES SPECIFIED IN THE COMPANY OPERATIONS MANUAL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 1995 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N6478H · no longer on the register · serial 20700538
- 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
PRIOR TO DEPARTING ON A SCHEDULED AIR TAXI FLIGHT WITH TWO PASSENGERS, THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING THAT INCLUDED AIRMETS FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION, IFR AND ICING CONDITIONS. VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. A COMPANY FLIGHT THAT DEPARTED BEFORE THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, RETURNED TO THE COMPANY BASE DUE TO LOW CEILINGS, AFTER THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT DEPARTED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ON A VFR FLIGHT PLAN AND ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILINGS IN THE AREA OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE PILOT BEGAN MANEUVERING AROUND THE TERRAIN AND DURING A PERIOD OF OBSCURATION, COLLIDED WITH SEVERAL TREES. THE COMPANY OPERATIONS MANUAL SPECIFIES THAT THE PILOT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE FLIGHT; HOWEVER, PROCEDURES ARE INCLUDED THAT DETAIL THE DISPATCH RESPONSIBILITIES, DISSEMINATION OF WEATHER INFORMATION, AND THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS RESPONSIBILITY TO MONITOR AND CANCEL FLIGHTS IF NECESSARY.
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: 1,352 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 84 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,116 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 8, 1995; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KTN AK at 11:20 am
- Destination: WRG Wrangell AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 28.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 am from KTN, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.