Cessna 207 Skywagon/Stationair

Operator:

Registration:

ZK-SEV

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Southland Regional Council

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Te Anau - Milford Sound

MSN:

207-0204

YOM:

1971

Location:

Milford Sound

Country:

New Zealand

Region:

Oceania

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

635

Captain / Total hours on type:

13.00

Circumstances:

On Saturday, 19 January 2002, at 0931, ZK-SEV, a Cessna 207, took off from Te Anau Aerodrome for Milford Sound Aerodrome. At about 1000 the aircraft collided with the side of a mountainous valley, approximately 4400 feet above sea level and 500 metres southeast of Gertrude Saddle, some 11 kilometres from Milford Sound. The pilot and 5 passengers on board died in the collision. The aircraft probably had not reached a suitable altitude to safely cross over Gertrude Saddle, and the pilot probably left his decision too late to turn back in the valley in order to gain more height.

Probable cause:

Findings:
Findings and safety recommendations are listed in order of development and not in order of priority.
- The pilot was appropriately qualified, fit and authorised to conduct the flight.
- The aircraft records indicated the aircraft was properly maintained and airworthy. The aircraft was appropriate for the purpose and was approved for air transport operations.
- The weather conditions were suitable for the flight.
- The aircraft was probably too low to safely cross Gertrude Saddle, and the pilot probably elected to use his escape option of a left reverse turn after recognising that he would be unable to safely cross the saddle. This was left too late to safely complete the manoeuvre.
- Had the aircraft reached a suitable height to safely cross Gertrude Saddle prior to entering Gertrude Valley, the accident may have been averted.
- The pilot may have misjudged the strength of the tailwind and thus the aircraft ground speed, and the strength of any downdraughts, as he approached Gertrude Saddle. Consequently, the
closing speed with the saddle and the low height of the aircraft may have caught the pilot by surprise.
- The pilot’s delayed action in initiating a reverse turn away from Gertrude Saddle was probably a prime contributing factor to the accident.
- Pilot inexperience may have contributed to the accident.
- The current aeroplane pilot training requirements are not sufficient to ensure pilots are suitably equipped to handle the demanding flying challenges that mountainous environments can present.

Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna T207A Turbo Stationair 7 II in Kanab

Date & Time: May 27, 2001 at 1400 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Lake Mead Air

Registration:

N6427H

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Positioning

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Marble Canyon – Kanab

MSN:

207-0522

YOM:

1979

Location:

Kanab

Utah

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

940

Captain / Total hours on type:

34.00

Aircraft flight hours:

7485

Circumstances:

The pilot departed for the cross-country flight with 10 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 17 gallons of fuel in the right tank. He leveled off and reduced to cruise power. He said he was "preparing to make switch from left to right tank....just before I could make the switch, the engine lost power." He attempted to switch tanks and restart the engine, but could not get a restart. He performed a forced landing to a dirt road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane rotated 180 degrees. The engine was torn from the mount, both wing spars were bent, and the empennage sustained substantial damage. A salvage team member noted, during the airplanes recovery, that there were approximately 10 to 15 gallons of fuel in the left tank; he said the right fuel tank was empty.

Probable cause:

The pilot's inadequate fuel consumption planning, and the subsequent fuel starvation, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 207 Skywagon in 47 Mile Creek: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 20, 2000 at 0615 LT

Type of aircraft:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Operator:

Registration:

N42472

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

47 Mile Creek – Aniak

MSN:

207-0148

YOM:

1970

Location:

47 Mile Creek

Alaska

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1788

Captain / Total hours on type:

900.00

Circumstances:

The air taxi pilot had flown to a remote airstrip and lodge in a company airplane to go hunting. He was scheduled the next morning for a flight from his company's base of operations, his original departure airport. According to a hunting guide at the lodge, the pilot departed the lodge's airstrip about 0608, with a load of revenue cargo. A few minutes later, the guide heard the sound of an airplane, and then a loud impact. The guide could not see the wreckage because it was too dark outside. He departed in his own airplane, but entered clouds shortly after takeoff, and had to return. The guide commented he thought the accident pilot was trying to return to the lodge airstrip because of the poor weather and darkness. The wreckage was located on a nearby mountain in daylight hours after the cloud cover had dissipated. Post accident inspection disclosed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane. Official sunrise was 0813; official civil twilight was 0730. The time of the accident was approximately 0615.

Probable cause:

The pilot's decision to initiate visual flight into dark night instrument meteorological conditions. Factors associated with the accident are a low ceiling, a dark night, the pilot's failure to follow regulatory procedures and directives, and his self-induced pressure to return to base to take another flight.

Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 207 Skywagon in San Juan de Manapiare: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 23, 2000 at 0703 LT

Type of aircraft:

Aerovias Guayana - Aguaysa

Operator:

Registration:

YV-753C

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Puerto Ayacucho – San Juan de Manapiare

MSN:

207-0344

YOM:

1976

Location:

San Juan de Manapiare

Amazonas

Country:

Venezuela

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to San Juan de Manapiare Airport in bad weather conditions, the single engine aircraft crashed on hilly terrain. The pilot and two passengers were killed while three other occupants were injured.

Crash of a Cessna 207 Skywagon in Las Terrenas: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jan 22, 2000 at 1145 LT

Type of aircraft:

Aerodomca - Aeronaves Dominicanas

Operator:

Registration:

HI-528CT

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

207-0112

YOM:

1969

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The single engine aircraft was completing a local touristic flight with six passengers and a pilot on board. While flying at low altitude in the vicinity of the Samaná Bay, the aircraft collided with a coconut tree. The right wing was torn off and the aircraft crashed, killing all seven occupants. Weather conditions were good at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Cessna T207A Skywagon in Bethel

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1999 at 1045 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N1864

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Bethel – Chefornak

MSN:

207-0526

YOM:

1979

Location:

Bethel

Alaska

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2507

Captain / Total hours on type:

1080.00

Aircraft flight hours:

9809

Circumstances:

The certificated commercial pilot, with five passengers aboard, was departing runway 18 on a scheduled commuter flight. The pilot stated that the flight's original departure time was delayed for two hours due to ice fog, and low visibility. He said that just after takeoff, the engine surged followed by a loss of power. The airplane collided with snow-covered terrain during an off-airport emergency landing, and sustained substantial damage to the propeller, fuselage, and wings. Following retrieval of the airplane, an FAA airworthiness inspector examined the airplane, and found no mechanical anomalies. While still attached to the airplane, the engine was started and run at idle. The engine later produced full power on an engine test stand. A pilot-rated Alaska State Trooper, with extensive experience in the accident airplane make and model, examined the airplane soon after the accident. He said the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and elevators had an accumulation of frost.

Probable cause:

The pilot's failure to remove frost from the airplane prior to flight, and an inadvertent stall/mush.

Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 207 Skywagon near Bethel: 6 killed

Date & Time: Dec 7, 1999 at 1300 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N1747U

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Bethel - Nightmute

MSN:

207-0347

YOM:

1976

Location:

Bethel

Alaska

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2255

Captain / Total hours on type:

390.00

Aircraft flight hours:

10363

Circumstances:

The airline transport pilot departed on a CFR Part 135 scheduled passenger flight to a remote coastal village. When the flight did not return, an aerial search was initiated. The wreckage was located the following day along the pilot's intended route, about 49 miles from the departure airport. The airplane had collided with flat, featureless, snow-covered, terrain. A pilot that departed about one minute after the accident airplane's departure, had a similar route of flight. He characterized the weather conditions along the accident airplane's route as overcast, with ceilings ranging between 2,500 and 4,500 feet. He said that as he approached the area of the accident, he encountered 'a wall of weather' starting from the ground, with tops at 1,500 feet. He added that visibility was low, with fog and varied layers of cloud cover. The pilot stated that he changed his route in order to avoid the worsening weather conditions. He added that with satisfactory weather conditions, and given the intended destination of the accident airplane, the standard route of flight would be directly over the location of the accident site. No pre accident anomalies were noted with the accident airplane.

Probable cause:

The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors associated with the accident were low ceilings, fog, and snow-covered terrain.

Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 207 Skywagon near Puerto Ayacucho: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 12, 1999 at 0830 LT

Type of aircraft:

Aerovias Guayana - Aguaysa

Operator:

Registration:

YV-745C

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: