Cessna 206 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, September 18, 2003
On September 18, 2003 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N275F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of an attaching bolt that allowed the nose wheel fork to separate from the nose gear strut, which resulted in the collapse of the nose gear during the landing roll. A factor contributing to the accident was rough/uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2003 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · 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
- N275F · registry record · serial 2065207
- 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/aviation mechanic was landing on a remote ridge on a positioning flight to pick up a passenger for an air taxi flight. The gravel covered ridge was about 3,973 feet msl, and was covered by about 1 to 2 inches of snow. After a soft field landing touchdown, the nose gear collapsed during the landing roll, and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot indicated that he believed the bolt attaching the nose wheel fork to the nose gear strut failed, allowing the nose wheel to separate from the lower end of the gear strut. A postaccident inspection of the nose gear and its support structure revealed that the nose wheel strut drag link was torn from its aft attach point. The keel bulkhead at the drag link attach point received tearing and shearing of the rivets and deformation.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 12,500 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 30, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F13 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAFA Fairbanks AK at 12:00 pm
- Destination: Fairbanks AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°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.
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.