- Date
- September 30, 2023, 16:05 local (20:05 UTC)
- Place
- Port Clinton, OH
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N34PLCessna T206
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230930014269A
- Case key
- 193169
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 failure to detect and avoid unmarked powerline(s) while attempting to take off from a river.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After takeoff the airline transport pilot and pilot-rated passenger of the amphibious airplane performed landings at an airport and on a river, performed airwork, then proceeded west, where when near a river, both looked for wires and poles but neither saw any. The pilot landed uneventfully on the river and while on the step he initiated takeoff. Although the pilot was looking and did not see any wires or poles associated with wires that spanned the river, the pilot-rated passenger spotted unmarked powerlines spanning the river immediately before impact with them during the initial climb and called them out to the pilot. The airplane collided with the wire(s), and the airplane pitched down and impacted the river resulting in substantial damage to the right wing, right wing lift strut, and aft empennage. The pilot stated there were no preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34PL
- Reported as
- Cessna T206 (H)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T20608403
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 1,298
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-Aj1A, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2022 · 84 hours before
- Destination
- TDZ · Millbury, OH
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 8, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 15,090 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 14,045 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 30, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 16,850 total · 60 in this make and model · 11,695 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- KPCW, 7 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KPCW 302015Z AUTO 07006KT 10SM CLR 23/15 A3026 RMK AO2=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.