Cessna 207A accident near Aniak, Alaska, October 26, 1998
On October 26, 1998 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Cessna 207A, registered N73533, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aniak, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. A factor in the accident was unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1998 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · all 207As on the register
- Registration
- N73533 · no longer on the register · serial 20700602
- 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 commercial pilot and two passengers departed a remote airport on an air taxi flight. After takeoff, the pilot climbed the airplane to about 1,000 feet msl. The engine began to run rough. Emergency engine procedures did not remedy the roughness. The airplane began losing altitude, and the pilot selected a forced landing area in a slough. The airplane collided with trees, and received damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. A sample of fuel from the left reservoir tank was murky and silty, and contained a small amount of water. Laboratory analysis of the fuel sample revealed the fuel met the standards for aviation fuel. Contamination in the fuel sample consisted of silt and dust, microscopic fibers, and paint chips. After recovery, examination of the engine did not find any mechanical malfunction. The engine produced full power on a test stand.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 106,127 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 4, 1998; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arctic Circle Air INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ANI at 9:32 pm
- Destination: KLG Kalskag AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 112° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft; scat at 100 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from ANI, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.