Cessna 207A N9979M

Summary

On 11 December 1987 at about 01:00 local time, a Cessna 207A registered N9979M, operated by Bering Air, Inc., was involved in an accident near Ambler, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

11 December 1987 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ambler, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

67.0799, -157.9001

Aircraft

Cessna 207A

Registration

N9979M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Bering Air, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kotzebue → Shungnak

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ANC88FA020

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT OF THE AIR TAXI CARGO FLT WAS OPERG AT NIGHT IN MARGINAL VFR CONDS WHEN THE ACFT STRUCK RISING TERRAIN. THE ACFT WAS FND THE NEXT DAY AT APRX 1000 AST, SOME 15 MI OFF THE INTENDED ROUTE. THE PLT WAS UNCONSCIOUS & SUFFERING FM HYPOTHERMIA & OTHER INJURIES. HE WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL, BUT DIED LATER THAT DAY. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT STRUCK THE SOUTH SIDE OF BISMARK MTN AT APRX 2100' MSL WHILE IN LVL FLT. ANOTHER PLT, WHO WAS FLYING IN THE AREA ABOUT 2-1/2 HRS AFTER THE ACDNT, RPRTD THAT CLASSIC WHITE-OUT CONDS EXISTED WITH MOD SNOW FALL & ICE CRYSTALS RDCG FWD VIS TO LESS THAN 1/2 MI. THE PLT (OF N9979M) HAD BEEN RECENTLY HIRED BY BERING AIR & HAD ONLY ABOUT 23 HRS OF KNOWN FLT TIME IN THE GENERAL AREA. AT THE TIME OF EMPLOYMENT, HE INDCD HE HAD APRX 1536 HRS OF FLT TIME; HOWEVER, ONLY 446 HRS OF FLT TIME WAS VERIFIED BY HIS LOGBOOK & OTHER SOURCES. MIN FLT TIME TO ACT AS A PIC IN THE AIR TAXI OPN WAS 500 HRS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.