Cessna T207A accident near Page, Arizona, January 17, 1989
On January 17, 1989 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna T207A, registered N6347H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Page, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT AND HIS INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT (FAILURE TO SEE-AND-AVOID THE OBSTRUCTION). FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE BIRDS, THE PILOT'S EXCESSIVE MANEUVER, AND THE TRANSMISSION LINE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 1989 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Page, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T207A · all T207As on the register
- Registration
- N6347H · no longer on the register · serial 20700488
- 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
DURING A CARGO FLIGHT, THE PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL UNDER AN OVERCAST LAYER. A FLOCK OF BIRDS FLEW INTO THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT PATH AND THE PILOT TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID A COLLISION. AS HE ATTEMPTED TO RESUME NORMAL FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE TERRAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE VERTICAL STABILIZER COLLIDED WITH A TRANSMISSION WIRE THAT WAS STRETCHED ACROSS A SHALLOW CANYON. THE AIRPLANE YAWED VIOLENTLY, BUT THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL AND LAND AT A NEARBY AIRPORT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,782 hours in all; 226 in this make and model; 266 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 1,624 as pilot in command; 34 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,999 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 2, 1989; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TBC Tuba City AZ at 3:55 pm
- Destination: PGA Page AZ
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.