Cessna 206 accident near Kaktovik, Alaska, September 5, 2003
On September 5, 2003 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N206J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kaktovik, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during takeoff which resulted in a loss of control during initial climb. Factors associated with the accident were wet and muddy runway conditions, and the pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2003 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kaktovik, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N206J · registry record · serial U206-0965
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport certificated pilot, with three passengers, was departing from a wet and mud-covered off-airport site on a CFR Part 135 on-demand charter flight. The pilot reported that just after lift-off the left wing stalled, and the airplane settled to the ground. He said that he realized after touchdown he would be unable to stop the airplane before reaching the end of the site, so he elected to make a hard turn to the left in an attempt to ground loop the airplane. During the ground loop, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. In the pilot's written statement to the NTSB, the pilot wrote, in part: "It is believed that we lost a cylinder, will confirm when able to do a test." On January 14, 2004, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector examined the accident airplane and engine after the airplane had been recovered from the accident site. The FAA inspector reported that he did not discover any preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane or engine.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,467 hours in all; 2,400 in this make and model; 227 in the last 90 days; 99 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 13, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,934.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 2003; 70.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABA Barter Island AK at 6:00 pm
- Destination: PABA Barter Island AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N206J 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.