Cessna U206E accident near Skwentna, Alaska, August 21, 2005
On August 21, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna U206E, registered N9138M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska (Lake Marie Lodge airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudged distance/altitude on final approach, which resulted in a noseover following an undershoot and in-flight collision with rough/uneven terrain. A factor associated with the accident was the rough/uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · Lake Marie Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206E · all U206Es on the register
- Registration
- N9138M · no longer on the register · serial U20601538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand passenger flight to a remote, dirt airstrip at a lodge, when he said the airplane began to sink rapidly on final approach. The pilot said he added power, but the airplane touched down short of the runway, collided with a stump, and came to rest inverted. He said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident, but felt the throttle may not have responded appropriately when he added throttle to arrest the descent rate. After deplaning the passengers, the pilot returned to the airplane and checked the throttle, which appeared to function normally. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and fuselage.
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; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,094 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 184 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 1,036 as pilot in command; 368 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,798 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2005; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Lake Hood Strip AK at 3:10 pm
- Destination: Skwentna AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 N9138M 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.