Cessna 207 accident near Bethel, Alaska, May 29, 1998
On May 29, 1998 at about 11:57 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N9956M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The throttle arm disconnecting from the throttle linkage to the engine as a result of inadequate inspection by company maintenance personnel. Factors associated with this accident were the company maintenance personnel not following the repetitive Service Bulletin inspection, and the inadequate design of the throttle arm by the manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1998 · about 11:57 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N9956M · registry record · serial 20700763
- 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
During climb to cruise while passing 2,000 feet msl, the engine lost total power. The airplane nosed onto its back during the subsequent forced landing in marshy tundra. Postaccident inspection revealed wear between the throttle arm and the connecting hardware bushing. The throttle control lever had disconnected from the throttle arm. Service Bulletin SEB95-15R1, 'Throttle Lever Inspection,' that required a visual inspection for wear between the arm and bushing each 50 hours or 12 months, had been complied with 56 hours, 163 hours, and 268 hours prior to the accident by company mechanics. The newly overhauled engine was installed 334 hours prior to the accident.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,050 hours in all; 1,770 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 3,875 as pilot in command; 1,065 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,610 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 8, 1998; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET at 6:55 pm
- Destination: AK45 Tununak AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:08 pm from BET, 10 miles away
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.