Cessna 206 accident near Bethel, AK
On February 4, 2002, a Cessna 206 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bethel, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 4, 2002
- Place
- Bethel, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 61.267°N, 164.264°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020228X00285
Official records · ANC02FA014
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 4, 2002, about 1042 Alaska standard time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 206 airplane, N756HL, was destroyed when the airplane collided with remote, snow-covered terrain, during cruise flight, about 80 nautical miles northwest of Bethel, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) on-demand cargo/U.S. mail flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and operated by Flight Alaska, Inc., dba: Yute Air Alaska. The solo certificated commerical pilot received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Bethel Airport, Bethel, at 1004, and was en route to Chevak, Alaska. According to the company's director of operations, when the flight failed to return to Bethel by 1430, company personnel initiated a phone search, and discovered that the flight had never reached Chevak. The flight was officially reported overdue to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about 1545. About 1209, an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received by a search and rescue satellite. Personnel from the Bethel wing of the Civil Air Patrol were dispatched to conduct an aerial search, and determine the source of the ELT signal. The Civil Air Patrol personnel reported that they were unable to complete the mission due to low clouds, low visibility, and icing conditions. At 1605, an Alaska Army National Guard HH-60 helicopter was dispatched from Bethel to begin an aerial search
Probable cause
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain adequate ground clearance, which resulted in an in flight collision with terrain. Factors associated with the accident were flat light conditions, and snow-covered terrain.
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Browse: Alaska · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
