Probable cause
The failure of the engine’s No. 1 piston connecting rod retaining bolts due to fatigue fracturing, which resulted in a loss of engine power during cruise flight.
NTSB analysis
Shortly after departure on the commercial passenger/cargo flight, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot conducted a forced landing on a snow-covered, sparsely treed, tundra area. Just before touchdown, the left stabilizer struck treetops, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. A preliminary examination of the engine revealed a crack in the crankcase. A subsequent examination of the No. 1 piston assembly revealed fatigue fractures in both connecting rod retaining bolts. Additional internal engine damage was found to be consistent with damage caused by the release of the connecting rod from the crankshaft.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC13LA029 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 6, 2013
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 207
- N-number
- N1704U
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1975
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 135 (charter and commuter)
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.