Cessna 207 accident near Jamestown, North Dakota, January 28, 1983
On January 28, 1983 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 207, registered N1597U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jamestown, North Dakota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 1983 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Jamestown, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N1597U · no longer on the register · serial 20700197
- 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
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PLT ENCOUNTERED FREEZING RAIN AND CLIMBED TO APRX 3500 FT TO BE ON TOP OF ALL WEATHER. WHEN HE THROTTLED BACK, THE ENGINE BEGAN SURGING AND WOULD NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH POWER FOR LEVEL FLIGHT. THE PILOT KNEW THAT THE GROUND LEVEL IN THAT AREA WAS APRX 1700 TO 1900 FT MSL. AS HE DESCENDED THRU 2500 FT, HE PLACED 2 MAILBAGS ON HIS LAP. HE DIMMED THE COCKPIT LIGHTS, TURNED ON THE TAXI LIGHTS AND WINDSHIELD ALCOHOL, AND BEGAN LOOKING FOR GROUND REFERENCES. HOWEVER, HE DID NOT SEE THE GROUND UNTIL THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE PILOT BELIEVED THAT THE AUTOMATIC FEATURE OF THE ALTERNATE AIR DOOR HAD MALFUNCTIONED OR FAILED. HE REPORTED THAT HE AND ANOTHER PILOT HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WHEN THE SAME KIND OF WEATHER WAS ENCOUNTERED. REPORTEDLY, AT ONE TIME, THE ACFT HAD BEEN EQUIPPED WITH A MANUAL CONTROL TO OPERATE THE DOOR. BUT THIS FEATURE HAD BEEN REMOVED. DURING A FUNCTIONAL CHECK, THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE ALT AIR DOOR PARTS WERE TOO BADLY DAMAGED FROM IMPACT TO BE OPERATIONALLY CHKD.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,169 hours in all; 425 in this make and model; 374 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 2,013 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1982; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAR Fargo ND
- Destination: BIS Bismarck ND
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; ovct at 100 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 18°F (-8°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.