- Date
- September 2, 1990, 00:01 local (08:01 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8646ZCessna P206C
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19900902040229A
- Case key
- 5308
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 pilot-in-command's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and failure to maintain adequate altitude for terrain clearance. Factors to the accident were the adverse weather conditions, mountainous terrain, and the dark night.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During a wx briefing the pilot was advised that VFR flight was not recommended, passes were closed, and that two pilot reports indicated clouds were to the ground near a pass. The pilot subsequently contacted anchorage approach control stating he was 73 mi north of anchorage, landing, and requested traffic separation and radar vectors. Approach replied that the pilot was too FAR north for coverage, and to maintain VFR conditions. The wreckage was located at the 4,000-FT level of a 4,500-FT high ridge/mountain, in an area near where the minimum enroute altitude (mea), or minimum obstruction altitude (moca), change from 10,000 ft to 7,500 ft southbound.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8646Z
- Reported as
- Cessna P206C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P206-0446
- Airframe hours
- 8,751
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Monte R. Merrill
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 15, 1989 · 241 hours before
- Departed
- GAL · Galena, AK
- Destination
- ANC · Anchorage, AK
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 580 total · 325 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TKA, 17 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.