Cessna 207A accident near Kotzebue, AK
On April 14, 1999, a Cessna 207A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kotzebue, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 14, 1999
- Place
- Kotzebue, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 67.239°N, 161.190°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001205X00398
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 14, 1999, about 0930 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 207A airplane, N73188, was destroyed after crashing on an ice and snow-covered lagoon, about 10.3 nautical miles east of Kotzebue, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled domestic flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated as Flight 303X, by Village Aviation Inc., doing business as Camai Air. The flight was an extra section to scheduled Flight 303. The certificated airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area of the accident. A VFR flight plan was filed. At 0845:44, the pilot contacted the In-Flight One position of the Kotzebue Flight Service Station (FSS) on a frequency of 122.2 MHz. The pilot filed a VFR flight plan to Noorvik, Alaska, with a return to Kotzebue. His planned time en route was one hour, and he said he had three hours of fuel. The pilot departed with cargo consisting of U.S. mail, and opened his flight plan at 0847:19. The distance from Kotzebue to Noorvik is 37 nautical miles, and the operator said the flight usually takes 28 minutes. The weather conditions at Kotzebue included a visibility of 3 miles in light snow and mist. After the flight departed Kotzebue, the weather conditions deteriorated below basic VFR minimums. At 0908, a special weather observation at Kotzebue included a visibility of 1.5 miles in light snow and mist. At an estimated time of 0920, the airplane departed the Robert Curtis Memorial Airp
Probable cause
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, spatial disorientation, and an inadvertent stall. Factors in the accident were weather conditions consisting of snow and mist, and flat lighting conditions.
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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.
