- Date
- August 25, 1993, 07:05 local (13:05 UTC)
- Place
- Challis, ID
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3431LCessna 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 1, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930825031079A
- Case key
- 41755
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
Inadequate compensation for wind conditions. The downdraft was a factor.
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
While making a full flap, short/soft field approach to the 1,000 foot long remote mountain airstrip, the pilot encountered a strong downdraft. He added full power, but his remedial action was not adequate to keep the aircraft from landing hard on the water-soaked dirt strip. During the hard landing, the nose gear experienced an overload and collapsed.
Factual narrative
On August 25, 1993, at approximately 0705 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Cessna U206B, N3431L, landed hard at a remote airstrip about 40 miles northwest of Challis, Idaho. The FAA certificated commercial pilot was not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight, which departed Challis, Idaho about 0635 MDT, was operating in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. The flight was on a company VFR flight plan, and the ELT, which was activated upon impact, was turned off at the site of the accident.
The pilot said that he was attempting a short/soft field landing at the 1,000 foot long by 25 foot wide remote mountain airstrip. He said that he was on short final using full flaps, when the aircraft encountered a strong downdraft. He applied full power, but was unable to keep from landing hard on the water soaked dirt runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3431L
- Reported as
- Cessna 206B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U-206-0731
- Airframe hours
- 4,360
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-ECF, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Danner, Robert P.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 21, 1993 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- U15
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- Lower Loon Creek Airstrip
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,100 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days · 110 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.