Cessna 207 accident near Old Harbor, Alaska, April 26, 1995
On April 26, 1995 at about 3:40 am local time, a Cessna 207, registered N1769U, was destroyed in an accident near Old Harbor, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER. THE WHITEOUT CONDITION WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1995 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Old Harbor, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N1769U · no longer on the register · serial 00369
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS INFORMED BY ANOTHER COMPANY PILOT THAT THE HIGHER PASSES WERE CLOSED. HE THEN ATTEMPTED TO FLY THROUGH 'HIGH PASS' LOCATED NEAR OLD HARBOR. THE PILOT DESCRIBED THE WEATHER AS OVERCAST WITH CEILINGS OBSCURED, AND FLIGHT VISIBILITY WAS 2 TO 3 MILES. THE PASS WAS SNOW COVERED. AS HE ENTERED THE PASS HE LOST VISUAL REFERENCE DUE TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND HE INITIATED A LEFT TURN TO EXIT THE PASS. APPROX HALF WAY THROUGH THE TURN THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE MOUNTAIN.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,700 hours in all; 700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,036 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 27, 1995; 50 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: 6R7 AK at 10:32 pm
- Destination: ADQ Kodiak AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.