# NTSB ANC08LA113: Cessna 206, N4886U, Galena, AK, August 31, 2008 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 30, 2008, 16:00 local (Aug 31, 2008, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Galena, AK - Coordinates: 64.738052, -158.940002 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=64.7381&lon=-158.9400&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report May 12, 2009 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration (Operations), Federal Aviation Administration (Airworthiness) - NTSB case key (mKey): 68860 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC08LA113 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/68860/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC08LA113 ## Probable cause The en route loss of engine power due to a mechanic's failure to tighten a fuel line fitting, which became disconnected in flight. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Maintenance: installation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035): Personnel issues › Task performance · Maintenance personnel (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna U206G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035/cases.md?model=2073356), [All aircraft, 371 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035/cases.md) - [Engine fuel and control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01057300): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Incorrect service/maintenance (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna U206G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01057300/cases.md?model=2073356), [All aircraft, 49 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01057300/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Prior to flight: Aircraft maintenance event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040); cases with it: [Cessna U206G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040/sequence.md?model=2073356), [All aircraft, 484 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040/sequence.md) - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna U206G, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2073356), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna U206G, 16 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2073356), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The private pilot reported that while in level cruise flight during a Part 91 personal flight, the engine began to run rough and lose power. After seeing the engine fuel pressure fluctuating, the pilot switched fuel tanks. He said the roughness improved momentarily, followed by a strong smell of fuel in the cockpit, which was followed by a complete loss of engine power. Unable to restart the engine, the pilot selected a marshy tree-covered site as a forced landing area. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with trees, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. During a postaccident examination, an FAA inspector discovered that the main fuel line between the engine driven fuel pump and the main fuel servo assembly was disconnected, and noted that neither the fuel line nor the connectors were damaged during the accident. A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that a maintenance technician had removed the fuel line about 1.9 hours before the accident. During an interview with the FAA inspector, the maintenance technician that removed and reinstalled the fuel line stated that he could not specifically recall if he had tightened the fuel line fitting after the initial installation, and presumed he had not. ## Factual narrative On August 30, 2008, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Cessna 206 airplane, N4886U, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing, about 62 miles southeast of Galena, Alaska. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 when the accident occurred. The solo private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Wasilla Lake Sea Plane Base, Wasilla, Alaska, about 1300, and was en route to Kiana, Alaska. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge on August 31, the pilot reported that while in level cruise flight the engine began to run rough and lose power. He said that he saw the engine fuel pressure fluctuating, so he elected to switch fuel tanks in an effort to restore engine power. He noted that the roughness improved momentarily, followed by a strong smell of fuel in the cockpit area, which was followed by a complete loss of engine power. He said that he was unable to restart the engine, and selected a marshy tree-covered site as a forced landing area. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with trees, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. On September 2, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector from the Anchorage Flight Standards District Office traveled to the Big Lake Airport, Big Lake, Alaska, and examined the airplane after it was recovered. The inspector reported he discovered that the main fuel line between the engine driven fuel pump and the main fuel servo assembly was disconnected, with no apparent impact damage to either the line or its connector. The FAA inspector said that during his postaccident review of the airplane's maintenance records, he discovered that a maintenance technician had removed the fuel line about 1.9 hours before the accident. During a follow-up interview with the FAA inspector, the maintenance technician that removed and reinstalled the fuel line stated that he could not specifically recall if he had tightened the fuel line fitting after the initial installation, and presumed he had not. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4886U](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4886U), registered now, S/N U20605144, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 206 - Registry model: [Cessna U206G](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-u206g) (registry code 2073356) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: U20606144 - Airframe hours: 1546 - Engines: Continental IO-550-F 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Howard Hugent - Registered owner: Nugent Equipment LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 20, 2008, 42 hours before - Departed: Wasilla, AK - Destination: KIANA, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 64; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review April 4, 2008; seat: left; flight hours: 3,371 total, 36 in this make and model, 3,371 as pilot in command, 28 in the last 90 days, 10 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 5,000 ft broken - Temperature: 50 °F - Observed at: PAGA, 64 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20080830846609A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080830846609A), Aug 30, 2008: Cessna U206G, Galena, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot stated that he departed wasilla lake for a 14CFR part 91 flight to the kobuk region. Approximately 63 miles east of Galena, AK he began to… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.