Maule M-7 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, August 28, 1999
On August 28, 1999 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Maule M-7, registered N770AS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
An in-flight collision with a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1999 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-7 · all M-7s on the register
- Registration
- N770AS · registry record · serial 4017C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport certificated pilot was completing a cross-country positioning flight, and decided to fly about 200 feet agl above a small lake. A large brown bird collided with the left wing tip of the airplane. After landing, the pilot discovered the wing tip faring was missing. The outboard end of the wing and the left aileron were damaged during the impact.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,400 hours in all; 795 in this make and model; 203 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 18,272 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,495 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 1999; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arctic Air Guide Flying Svc.
The flight
- Departed from: Selawik River AK at 5:12 pm
- Destination: PAOT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 325° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.