Cessna 206 accident near Aniak, Alaska, August 29, 2002
On August 29, 2002 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N5209X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aniak, Alaska. It was a personal 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. A contributing factor in the accident was the rough and uneven terrain (hole) in the landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2002 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aniak, 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
- N5209X · no longer on the register · serial U20605596
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing a tundra tire-equipped airplane on tundra-covered terrain to drop off camping supplies. The pilot said he had landed at the site before, which was about 900 feet long by 80 feet wide, and oriented in a southeast/northwest direction. He said he was landing toward the southeast. During the landing roll, the nose wheel dropped into an unseen hole, and the airplane received damage to the nose wheel strut, propeller, engine cowling, and the outboard rib of the right wing.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 11, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sleetmute AK at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Aniak AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 325° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.
Other NTSB records under N5209X 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.