Cessna 207 accident near Grayling, Alaska, March 27, 1997
On March 27, 1997 at about 2:31 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N1747U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grayling, Alaska (Grayling airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power due to a fractured connecting rod bolt, which was precipitated by fatigue. A factor associated with the accident was the snow covered terrain in the emergency landing site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1997 · about 2:31 pm local time
- Place
- Grayling, Alaska · Grayling · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N1747U · no longer on the register · serial 20700347
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported a partial loss of engine power during departure from a rural village. He said the airplane was approximately 600 feet agl when he heard a loud 'clunk-clunk' and felt an engine vibration. He reduced power, and turned downwind to land on the same runway he had just departed. On the turn from base to final, he said the engine continued to lose power, and he was unable to maintain sufficient altitude to reach the runway. He made a forced landing in deep snow. Postaccident inspection disclosed a fractured connecting rod bolt. Metallurgical examination at the NTSB laboratory revealed a fatigue failure of the rod bolt. The engine was rebuilt approximately 1,642 service hours prior to the accident. The engine manufacturer recommends an engine overhaul at 2000 hours.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,700 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 80 in the last 30 days; 6,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,265 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 5, 1997; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Yute Air Alaska
The flight
- Departed from: KGX at 2:28 pm
- Destination: ANV Anvik AK
- Runway 33, 2,315 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 N1747U 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.