Cessna 207A N9651M

Summary

On 3 June 2024 at about 00:00 local time, a Cessna 207A registered N9651M, operated by Grant Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Bethel, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 June 2024 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bethel, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Bethel Airport (BET)

Coordinates

60.7852, -161.8317

Aircraft

Cessna 207A

Registration

N9651M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Grant Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Kwigillingok

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC24LA043

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper short-field takeoff procedure, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a short-field takeoff procedure with an airplane that was near its maximum gross weight. The airplane’s operating handbook specified that the short-field takeoff procedure required the use of flaps until the airplane had reached an indicated airspeed greater than 80 knots. The pilot reported that, during the initial climb, he felt the airplane sink and saw the wing flaps retract in his peripheral vision. The pilot pushed the airplane’s nose down to gain airspeed; however, the airplane was too low to gain sufficient airspeed for continued flight, and subsequently landed hard on the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. Examination of the flap system revealed that the flaps were fully retracted at the time of impact, and the flap position lever was also in the retracted position. An operational check of the flap control system was conducted in accordance with the airplane service manual and no abnormalities were observed. Given the position of the flaps and flap position lever at the time of the accident and the lack of anomalies during postaccident operational testing of the flap system, it is likely that the pilot either retracted the wing flaps during the takeoff initial climb at an altitude and airspeed that was insufficient to sustain flight, or attempted a short-field takeoff with the flaps improperly configured (retracted), which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.