Cessna 206 accident near Bethel, Alaska, February 4, 2002
On February 4, 2002 at about 2:42 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N756HL, was destroyed in an accident near Bethel, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 2002 · about 2:42 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N756HL · no longer on the register · serial U20604103
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo commerical pilot departed on a CFR 135 on-demand cargo/U.S. mail flight en route to a remote coastal village. The flight did not reach the destination. A search and rescue satellite received an ELT signal, and the wreckage was located about 80 miles from the departure airport, along the airplane's intended flight path. A pilot who departed about 25 minutes before the accident airplane, also en route to the same coastal village, characterized the weather conditions along the route as "low visibility with light snow squalls moving through the area." He added that flat light conditions made it very difficult to discern any topographic features. Another pilot who was transiting through the area in the opposite direction, about the time of the accident, characterized the weather conditions as overcast with ceilings ranging between 1,000 and 1,300 feet. As he approached the site where the wreckage was eventually discovered, he encountered momentary visibility restrictions due to fog and light snow. He added that flat light conditions made it very difficult to discern any topographic features among the featureless, snow-covered terrain. The pilot stated that he changed his route in order to avoid worsening weather conditions. The accident airplane was equipped with an avionics package provided by the FAA's Capstone Program. The Capstone Program is a joint industry/FAA demonstration program that includes global positioning system (GPS) avionics, weather and traffic information provided through automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), and terrain information depicted on a multifunction display (MFD) installed in the cockpit. Terrain depiction information, based on GPS data, is one of several visual display options available to the pilot on the MFD. Damage to the accident airplane's MFD precluded a determination of the visual display option selected at the time of the accident. At the time of the accident, position information from ADS-B equipment in the airplane was being provided to the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The recorded ARTCC data were reviewed to determine the flight track of the accident airplane. The radar-like track depicted the accident airplane's takeoff from the departure airport, on a heading of approximately 300 degrees. While en route, the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 1,800 feet msl. As the track continued in a northwesterly direction and approached the accident site, a gradual descent was noted. The radar-like track stopped approximately 1.8 miles east of the accident site, with a ground speed of approximately 108 knots. Examination of the accident site revealed physical evidence indicating the airplane impacted the ground on a southeasterly heading (directly opposite of the on-course heading for the intended flight) in a slight nose down attitude. No evidence of any pre-impact anomalies with the engine or airplane were noted.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,800 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 25, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,051 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 29, 2001; 46.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Alaska, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 2:04 pm
- Destination: VAK Chevak AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 28.93 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from PAHP, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N756HL the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.