Cessna 207 accident near Ninilchik, Alaska, September 4, 1999
On September 4, 1999 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 207, registered N800DF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ninilchik, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff area. A factor associated with this accident was the sunglare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 1999 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Ninilchik, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N800DF · registry record · serial 207-00621
- 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 airplane was taking off from a sand beach. The on-demand fishing charter flight was about one hour late, and the incoming tide had reduced the width of the available takeoff area. During the takeoff roll, the left wingtip struck a tree stump on the high side of the beach, separating about four feet of wing and the left aileron. The commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. The remaining two passengers received minor injuries. During a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot stated that the winds were from the southwest at 10 knots, and he was taking off to the west. The NTSB IIC held telephone interviews with, and received written statements from, the passengers. They indicated that the pilot was in a hurry because of the incoming tide, and the late schedule. The pilot was taking off into the setting sun, and was not wearing sunglasses. According to the passengers, the pilot said he would wait for the sun to pass behind a cloud, but decided to depart.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 127 in the last 30 days; 4,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,234 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 13, 1999; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Chinitna Bay AK at 10:30 pm
- Destination: SXQ Soldotna AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N800DF 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.