What happened
On September 15, 2024, a Cessna 207, registration N90193, was destroyed following an accident near St. Mary's, Alaska. The flight, operated under Part 91 for personal use, was traveling from Bethel Airport (BET) to St. Mary's Airport (KSM) for a hunting trip. The aircraft was occupied by the pilot and three passengers, all of whom were 4 fatal.
Flight tracking data indicated the aircraft departed Bethel at approximately 2108 Alaska daylight time, flying northwest at altitudes between 500 and 800 feet above ground level. At 2159, the aircraft was positioned about 4 nautical miles southeast of KSM over the Yukon River. The flight path showed the airplane overflew runway 6/24, performed a 180-degree left turn, and then executed a steep right descending turn toward the ground. The final recorded position was directly above the accident site.
Prior to the accident, the pilot had contacted the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center to request a special visual flight rules (SVFR) clearance to enter the KSM airport environment. The controller provided the current weather and issued the clearance. At the time of the accident, weather at KSM included a ceiling of 300 feet, visibility of 2.5 miles, light rain, and mist.
The investigation
An NTSB investigator-in-charge, an FAA inspector, and a representative from Textron Aviation examined the wreckage on September 18. The on-scene examination revealed that the aircraft impacted rising terrain in a right-wing-low and nose-low attitude while heading northwest. The debris path was highly fragmented and approximately 150 feet long, containing all major components of the airplane.