Cessna 206 accident near Galena, Alaska, September 24, 2001
On September 24, 2001 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N35962, was substantially damaged in an accident near Galena, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation for takeoff from an off-airport, short field site. Factors associated with the accident are a variable wind, and the pilot's inadequate weather evaluation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 2001 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Galena, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N35962 · registry record · serial U20602833
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was preparing to takeoff with a load of moose meat and a hunter from a remote gravel bar. He checked the performance tables for takeoff in the short takeoff and landing (STOL) modified airplane, and calculated he would need approximately 500 feet to takeoff. He estimated the length of the gravel bar as 600 feet. In his report to the NTSB, the pilot said a ground witness indicated the prevailing wind shifted from an 8 to 10 knot headwind into a 5 knot tailwind, just as the airplane became airborne at the end of the gravel bar. The pilot said he was unable to keep the airplane in the air, and it settled into the water at the edge of the gravel bar and nosed over. He noted in his report that the accident could have been prevented by: "Lighter loads and more of them. Closer attention to possible wind shear conditions."
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 249 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 2,788 as pilot in command; 485 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 10, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Galena AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.