- Date
- August 14, 2023, 10:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Skwentna, AK
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4891ZCessna U206G
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230814008799A
- Case key
- 192889
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The airplane’s float contacted an undetected submerged gravel bar during landing which resulted in a nose over.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
While landing on a river and coming off the float step, the airplane’s float contacted an undetected submerged gravel bar in shallow water. The airplane pivoted, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4891Z
- Reported as
- Cessna U206G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20606044
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 18,019
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- Rust's Flying Service, doing business as Rust's Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Rustair Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 3, 2023
- Departed
- PALH · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- NA
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Handheld GPS, Satellite tracking device
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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 17,653 total · 500 in this make and model · 9,553 as pilot in command · 253 in the last 90 days · 107 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 58 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 26, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.