Cessna 206 accident near Circle, Alaska, September 17, 2002
On September 17, 2002 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N8515Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Circle, Alaska (Circle City airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial separation of the nose wheel flange from the hub that resulted in a nose over during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2002 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Circle, Alaska · Circle City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N8515Q · registry record · serial 206003372
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing on a gravel-surfaced runway in a tricycle gear-equipped airplane. During the landing roll, one side of the nose gear wheel flange partially separated from the wheel hub. The nose wheel flange dug into the runway surface, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The airplane was equipped with a McCauley nose wheel assembly, and a 600 X 6 tire. The two halves of the wheel flange are bolted together on either side of the wheel hub assembly with six hex-head bolts per side. The bolts are threaded into the hub, and are required to be torqued to 200 inch-pounds. The bolts are not equipped with any lock-washers. An FAA inspector reported that he traveled to the departure airport, and to the arrival airport. The inspector said that he located one wheel flange bolt at the departure airport, along the accident airplane's departure taxi path to the runway. The bolt, and bolt threads, were undamaged. The inspector located another wheel flange bolt at the destination airport. The bolt was sheared.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,011 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,150 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 8, 2002; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PATJ Tok AK at 10:30 am
- Destination: PACR Circle AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 15, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC02LA122.