Cessna 207A accident near Kotzebue, AK
On February 25, 1995, a Cessna 207A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kotzebue, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 25, 1995
- Place
- Kotzebue, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 67.240°N, 161.190°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X02979
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 25, 1995, at 1250 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 207A, N6479H, was destroyed during a collision with rising terrain while turning in a box canyon 25 miles north of Kotzebue, Alaska. The aircraft was owned and operated by Yute Air Alaska, Inc., as Yute Air flight 1907, a scheduled domestic passenger/cargo flight under 14 CFR Part 135 of Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). Visual meteorological conditions were prevalent at the time and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed for the operation. The certificated commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated from the Ralph Wein Memorial Airport at Kotzebue on the day of the accident at 1235 as a cargo flight to Kivalina, Alaska. Approximately 10 minutes after departure, the pilot was contacted by a company pilot who was inbound to Kotzebue. During their conversation, the company pilot asked what he was doing. The pilot replied that he was "looking for wolves." Shortly thereafter, the company pilot told the pilot that his radio transmissions were breaking up. The pilot replied that it was probably because he was "behind a ridge." The company pilot then told him that he had to temporarily go off frequency to communicate with Yute Air operations. When the witness switched back about 5 minutes later, he was unable to reestablish contact with the pilot. The highest terrain in the vicinity of the crash site is about 1,600 feet mean sea level (msl). The pilot from another air taxi operator reported that he was flying in the general vicinity of the accident site about 1300
Probable cause
the pilot's decision to enter a box canyon area at an altitude inadequate to maintain terrain clearance. The pilot's lack of mountain flying experience was a factor in this accident.
More accidents in AK
- Beech 1900C, Nov 23, 1987
- Textron Aviation Inc 208B, Feb 6, 2025
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jul 7, 2013
- Cessna 208, Oct 10, 2001
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jun 25, 2015
Browse: Alaska · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
