- Date
- February 28, 1993, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N8076ZCessna U206A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19930228004139A
- Case key
- 2328
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 abrupt aircraft handling by the pilot in command. Factors were the collapse of the nose gear and the soft, snow covered terrain.
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
The pilot in command was taxiing the airplane for takeoff and did not see the double snow machine tracks in the snow. The airplane's nose bounced up when it crossed the tracks and the pilot pushed the nose back down. The nose wheel ski tip dug into the soft snow and the airplane's nose gear collapsed.
Factual narrative
On February 28, 1993, at 1800 Alaska standard time, a wheel ski equipped Cessna 206 airplane, N8076Z, registered to and operated by the Pilot in Command, collapsed its nose gear during taxi for takeoff on Kashwitna Lake located near Willow, Alaska. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, had departed Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and the destination was Kashwitna Lake and return to Elmendorf. A visual flight rules flight plan was in effect and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The Airline Transport certificated pilot and the one passenger were not injured, and the airplane received substantial damage.
According to the Pilot, he was taxiing at 15 to 20 knots when the airplane taxied over double snow machine tracks. He stated that the tracks were difficult to see. The nose of the airplane came off the ground and when he pushed the nose back on the ground the toe of the nose wheel ski dug into the soft snow, caused the airplane to turn to the right abruptly, and collapsed the nose gear. The airplane nosed up and struck the propeller and left wing on the snow.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8076Z
- Reported as
- Cessna U206A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U206-0476
- Airframe hours
- 3,576
- Engine
- Continental IO-520A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bowers, Don S. Jr.
- Registered owner
- Bowers, Don S. Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 6, 1992 · 76 hours before
- Departed
- Kashwitna Lake, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,741 total · 721 in this make and model · 4,408 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 99 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8076Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.