- Date
- July 23, 1998, 14:32 local (22:32 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N206FCessna 206
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 28, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980723016989A
- Case key
- 43541
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 delay in aborting the takeoff prior to reaching the end of the lake. A factor associated with the accident was a downdraft.
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 was departing from a lake. He stated that, once airborne, the airplane would not climb. As the airplane neared the end of the lake, the pilot said that the airplane would not maintain altitude, forcing him to land on a road in a housing development adjacent to the departure end of the lake. The pilot said: 'I just hit a downdraft at the end of the lake. I just couldn't climb out.' The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and that the engine was producing sufficient power. During the landing, the airplane struck a tree and a pickup truck with two occupants inside. The two occupants of the pickup truck were not injured. The pilot said the wind conditions at the time of the accident were from the southeast at 10 knots, with peak gusts to 15 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 23, 1998, about 1432 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 206 airplane, N206F, sustained substantial damage during takeoff from Campbell Lake, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated airline transport pilot was not injured. The pilot-rated passenger aboard received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was en route to Telequana Lake, Alaska.
During an on scene interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, on July 23, the pilot reported that he started the takeoff run with 10 degrees of flaps, and once on the step, he extended the flaps to 20 degrees. He stated that once airborne, the airplane would not climb. As the airplane neared the end of the lake, the pilot said that the airplane would not maintain altitude, forcing him to land on a road in a housing development adjacent to the departure end of the lake. During the interview the pilot said: "I just hit a downdraft at the end of the lake. I just couldn't climb out." The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and that the engine was producing sufficient power.
During the landing, the airplane struck a tree and a pickup truck with two occupants inside. The two occupants of the pickup truck were not injured.
The pilot stated the wind conditions at the time of the accident were from the southeast at 10 knots, with peak gusts to 15 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N206F
- Reported as
- Cessna 206
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2063015
- Airframe hours
- 6,421
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael Patrick Murphy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 25, 1998
- Destination
- Port Alsworth, AK
- Airport
- L-1A · Campbell Lake
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
- 37
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 650 in this make and model · 12,500 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.