Cessna 206 accident near English Bay, AK
On July 11, 2003, a Cessna 206 (airplane) was involved in an accident near English Bay, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 11, 2003
- Place
- English Bay, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 59.354°N, 151.931°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030718X01149
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 11, 2003, about 1105 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 206 airplane, N505SD, was destroyed when it impacted ocean waters following a loss of control during an aborted landing at the English Bay Airport, English Bay, Alaska. The airplane was operated by Smokey Bay Air, Inc., Homer, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country cargo flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The solo commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Homer Airport, Homer, about 1015. During telephone conversations with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 11, a number of English Bay residents reported that on the day of the accident, strong southeasterly to easterly winds prevailed. A number of witnesses reported gusty wind conditions, estimated to be between 25 and 35 knots, blowing directly across runway 19. The accident was witnessed by several individuals located at various locations around the community of English Bay. The witnesses consistently reported that as the airplane proceeded on its final approach to runway 19, which required a correction for a left crosswind, the airplane "floated down the runway" after passing over the runway threshold. The witnesses said that the airplane eventually touched down about mid-field on the 1,850-foot long by 50-foot wide gravel-covered runway. The witnesses added that as it touched down, the airplane bounced twice, which was immediate
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during an aborted landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall and subsequent collision with water. Factors were the high velocity crosswind conditions, the pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, and his delay in aborting the landing.
More accidents in AK
- Beech 1900C, Nov 23, 1987
- Textron Aviation Inc 208B, Feb 6, 2025
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jul 7, 2013
- Cessna 208, Oct 10, 2001
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jun 25, 2015
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.
