- Date
- September 6, 1987, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Harding Glacier, AK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9407GCessna U206E
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870906051609A
- Case key
- 4789
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private pilot and his non-pilot adult male passenger were flying from modesto, CA, to soldotna, AK, for a hunting trip. The pilot, who had approximately 164 hours total flight time at the time of the accident, and who had no prior flying experience in Alaska, was attempting to fly over a mountain range in adverse weather conditions when the aircraft struck a mountain Glacier at the 5600' level. Weather conditions at the time were reportedly less than VFR, with moderate to severe turbulence, rain, and clouds obscuring the mountains. The pilot's former flight instructor had reportedly advised him not to undertake the flight due to his lack of experience and the potentially severe weather conditions in Alaska.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9407G
- Reported as
- Cessna U206E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20601607
- Airframe hours
- 2,250
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-F, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul R. Persano
- Registered owner
- Paul R Persano
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 13, 1987 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- YAK · Yakutat, AK
- Destination
- SXO · Soldotna, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 164 total · 81 in this make and model · 114 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Observed at
- SWT, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9407G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.