Cessna 207 N1701U

Summary

On 16 January 2008 at about 16:15 local time, a Cessna 207 registered N1701U, operated by Inland Aviation Services Inc., was involved in an accident near Aniak, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 January 2008 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Aniak, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Aniak (PANI)

Coordinates

61.5817, -159.5417

Aircraft

Cessna 207

Registration

N1701U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Inland Aviation Services Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Crooked Creek → Aniak

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC08LA032

1 person was seriously injured.

A partial loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's inadvertent encounter with IMC conditions, and a whiteout during his attempted go-around from an emergency landing approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial certificated pilot was returning from a remote village after a round robin flight of about 130 miles over a frozen and snow-covered river. He was in cruise flight about 500 feet agl, but then circled while holding between 6 or 7 miles east of his destination airport, awaiting a special VFR (SVFR) clearance. The weather condition in that area was about 1 mile visibility, with a ceiling of about 1,000 feet agl. After receiving his SVFR clearance, the pilot flew toward the airport, but the engine fuel pressure began fluctuating. The engine rpm began decreasing, along with the airplane's altitude. The pilot switched fuel tanks, selected full flaps, and prepared for a forced landing. He said the weather was near white-out conditions, but he could see the bank of the river. After switching fuel tanks from the left to the right tank, the engine power suddenly returned to full power. He applied forward flight control pressure to prevent the airplane from climbing too fast, but the airplane collided with the surface of the river. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings and fuselage. At the time of the accident, the ceiling at the airport was 600 feet obscured, with a visibility of 1/2 mile in snow. Neither the fuel status of the accident airplane, nor the mechanical condition of the engine, were verified by either the NTSB or FAA.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.