- Date
- July 7, 1997, 14:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Platinum, AK
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N756ZVCessna U206G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19970707017089A
- Case key
- 3084
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 proper touchdown point. A factor associated with the accident was a tailwind.
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 air taxi pilot was landing the float-equipped airplane on his third trip of the day to the accident location. He said that on the accident flight he landed towards the beach with a tailwind. He touched down too close to the beach, and was unable to stop the airplane before it ran upon the beach and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On July 7, 1997, about 1445 Alaska daylight time, an amphibian float equipped Cessna U206G airplane, N756ZV, sustained substantial damage while landing in the ocean near Cape Pierce, Alaska. Cape Pierce is located about 16 miles south of Platinum, Alaska. The airline transport certificated pilot was not injured; the two passengers aboard reported minor injuries. The 14 CFR Part 135 air taxi flight operated in visual meteorological conditions under charter to the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) office located in Anchorage, Alaska. The purpose of the flight was to transport USGS employees to Cape Pierce from Cape Newenham, Alaska. A company flight plan was in effect. This was the pilot's third trip of the day to the accident location.
During a conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 9, the pilot related he was landing with a tailwind towards the beach. He said the airplane didn't come off the step as quickly as he anticipated, and that it continued out of the water and onto the beach, where it nosed over. The pilot said there was no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. He also said the amphibian landing gear wheels were retracted at the time of landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N756ZV
- Reported as
- Cessna U206G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20604495
- Airframe hours
- 7,491
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-F17B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Yute Air Alaska
- Registered owner
- William L. Johnson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 5, 1997 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- Cape Newenham, AK
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 38
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,200 total · 125 in this make and model · 3,200 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 345° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.