Cessna 207A accident near Hughes, Alaska, September 10, 1998
On September 10, 1998 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N7380U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hughes, Alaska (Indian Mountain Llrs airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 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 compensation for the wind conditions, and an inadvertent stall. A factor in the accident was the presence of a tail wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 1998 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hughes, Alaska · Indian Mountain Llrs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N7380U · no longer on the register · serial 20700428
- 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 certificated airline transport pilot was landing in an uphill direction at a remote airport as part of an on-demand air taxi flight. The runway was 4,100 feet long, and 120 feet wide, with an uphill gradient of 7.1 percent. For the runway selected by the pilot, a tail wind of 20 knots, with gusts to 24 knots, was present. During the landing flare, about 3 feet above the runway, the pilot said he encountered a gust of wind, or wind shear. The airplane stalled, and contacted the runway hard on the main landing gear. After landing, the pilot reported he inspected the airplane for damage but did not notice any. The following day, the pilot noticed the aft tie-down ring, and tail skid, located on the underside of the tail cone, was broken off the airplane. In addition, the airplane received damage to the aft empennage bulkhead, and adjacent fuselage structure.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,530 hours in all; 2,399 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 5,030 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,518 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1998; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F27B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Warbelow'S Air Ventures INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PAGA Galena AK at 5:03 pm
- Destination: PAIM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24, 4,100 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 20 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N7380U 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.