Cessna U206 accident near Port Alsworth, AK

On February 9, 2005, a Cessna U206 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Port Alsworth, AK. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

February 9, 2005

Place

Port Alsworth, AK

Aircraft

Cessna U206 · Airplane

Injuries

3 fatal, 0 serious, 2 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

60.282°N, 154.208°W

NTSB ID

20050222X00213

Official records · ANC05LA027

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• ATC Communications with N206AR: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• ATC Communications with Cessna Caravan N9602F: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

On February 9, 2005, about 1110 Alaska standard time, a wheel-equipped Cessna U206 airplane, N206AR, sustained substantial damage when it collided with the ice-covered surface of Lake Clark and sank, about 6 nautical miles north-northeast of Port Alsworth, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries; the remaining three passengers received fatal injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight departed Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska, at 0939, and the destination was Port Alsworth. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. No flight plan was filed for the flight. According to a friend who is a pilot and was flying in another airplane as a passenger, the airplane he was in arrived at Port Alsworth about the time the accident airplane would have been in the vicinity of Lake Clark (Port Alsworth is located on the south shore of Lake Clark). The friend said the airplane he was a passenger in was piloted by the accident pilot's father-in-law, and that they had departed Merrill Field about 30 minutes after the accident airplane. They had been in intermittent radio contact with the accident pilot for roughly the first half of the flight. The accident pilot had elected to transit Lake Clark Pass to reach Port Alsworth, and the pilot of the second, faster airplane, had flown a similar route, but higher, on top of the overcast. When the accident pilot did not arrive at Port Alsworth, and they could not establish radio contact with him, th

Probable cause

The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), his improper in-flight planning and decision making, and his failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering to reverse direction at a low altitude. Factors associated with the accident are snow, a low ceiling, whiteout conditions, and a low altitude maneuver initiated by the pilot.

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Browse: Alaska · Cessna aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.