Cessna 207A accident near Bethel, Alaska, September 7, 1997
On September 7, 1997 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N7318U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska (Canyon Creek airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions. Factors in the accident were a downdraft, crosswind conditions, and rough/uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1997 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · Canyon Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N7318U · no longer on the register · serial 20700396
- 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 and three passengers were departing a remote, private airstrip. The airstrip is 1,000 feet long and 40 feet wide, at an elevation of 1,200 feet mean sea level. It is located in a narrow canyon with steep terrain on the north side, and lower hills on the south side. During the takeoff on a magnetic heading of 130 degrees, the airplane lifted off near the end of the runway. The pilot indicated that after lift-off the airplane climbed to about 50 feet above the ground, and suddenly encountered a downdraft. The airplane began descending toward the ground, and collided with rough terrain. The pilot indicated the wind conditions at the time of the accident were 040 degrees at 20 knots, with gusts to 25 knots.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,450 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 1,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,922 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 14, 1997; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,812 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BET AK
- Runway 13, 1,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.