- Date
- June 4, 1997, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Chevak, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N736Cessna U206F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19970604013649A
- Case key
- 3081
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's misjudgment of the prevailing wind conditions during landing.
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 reported he was returning to his base camp on a remote lake. He said he misjudged the wind direction, and inadvertently landed his float-equipped airplane downwind, with a 15-knot tailwind. He was unable to stop the airplane before it hit the shore. The airplane continued inland about 50 feet and struck small trees.
Factual narrative
On June 4, 1997, about 1230 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna U206F airplane, N736, operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage while landing at Kagankaguti Lake, located about 16 miles southeast of Chevak, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot and the two passengers aboard were not injured. The local flight departed Kagankaguti Lake about 0930. The flight operated in visual meteorological conditions, and a VFR flight plan was filed.
During a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on June 6, the pilot related he and two passengers, all employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, had left their base camp at Kagankaguti Lake in the accident airplane to conduct an aerial survey of wildlife. After the survey was completed, the flight returned to the base camp. The pilot said he misread the wind, and thought he was landing into the wind, but he actually landed to the southwest with a 10 to 15 knot tailwind. He said he was unable to stop or turn the airplane prior to impacting the beach. The airplane ran up on the beach, struck small trees, and continued inland about 50 feet.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N736
- Reported as
- Cessna U206F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20601781
- Airframe hours
- 10,159
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service
- Registered owner
- Dept. Of Interior, (Oas)
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 26, 1996 · 92 hours before
- Flight plan
- VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,400 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.