Accident Pilot State(d), Over The Radio, “I’m Going Around, There’s Something On The Runway,” Just Before The Accident

Location: Nanwalek, AK Accident Number: ANC25FA035
Date & Time: April 28, 2025, 13:55 Local Registration: N91025
Aircraft: Cessna T207 Injuries: 2 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 135: Air taxi & commuter - Scheduled

On April 28, 2025, about 1355 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna T207 airplane, N91025, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Nanwalek, Alaska. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. One passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as flight number 213, a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 scheduled commuter air carrier flight.

According to the operator, Smokey Bay Air, the pilot and two passengers departed the Homer Airport, Homer, Alaska, en route to the Nanwalek Airport, Nanwalek with 40 gallons of aviation fuel on board, 271 lbs of passenger baggage, and 257 lbs U.S. mail on board. Archived Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data shows the airplane departing Homer, crossing Kachemak Bay and following the coastline before approaching Runway 19 in Nanwalek from the North. The ADS-B track data then shows that, as the airplane approached Nanwalek Airport from the north, it momentarily sidestepped to the right of the runway centerline, which was followed by a left turn once it was parallel with the approach end of Runway 19. The airplane was about 100 ft above ground level (AGL) at the final ADS-B captured datapoint.

Multiple witnesses, located on the ground in the vicinity of the airport, reported seeing the airplane approaching Runway 19 for landing, from over the village. The witnesses then stated that the airplane increased throttle and entered a steep left bank near the North end of Nanwalek Airport before losing control and spiraling down to the ground. Some witnesses reported seeing a dog on the runway when the accident airplane was on final approach. 

A pilot, in a second Smokey Bay Airplane a few miles in trail of the accident airplane also inbound to Nanwalek Airport, recalled hearing the accident pilot state, over the radio, “I’m going around, there’s something on the runway,” just before the accident. The surviving passenger was later interviewed at a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. He reported approaching Nanwalek Airport from the village side and recalled that the airplane was offset to the right of runway centerline on final approach. He then stated that the airplane entered a sharp, steeper than normal, left banking turn before losing control and rapidly spiraling down to the surface.

The airplane came to rest on the beach about 350 ft northwest of the approach end of Runway 19. First responders subsequently pulled the airplane wreckage to higher ground to keep the airplane from becoming submerged as the tide began to rise.

The left wing was separated from the fuselage, held only by the control cables, and rotated forward of the main wreckage. The right wing exhibited spanwise deformation to the outboard section, beyond the lift strut, consistent with impact damage. Both the aft section of the fuselage, forward of the empennage, and the nose section of the fuselage, forward of the cockpit, exhibited damage consistent with rotational forces on impact.

During the onsite investigation, no preimpact anomalies were visually observed with the flight control system. The flap selector was found in the full down position. The three propeller blades exhibited rotational signatures.

The wreckage has been recovered to a secure facility for further examination.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov