Cessna 206 accident near Seward, Alaska, October 9, 2005
On October 9, 2005 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N4447Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seward, 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
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, which resulted in an on ground encounter with terrain, and subsequent loss of control while landing. A factor associated with the accident was a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2005 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Seward, 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
- N4447Z · no longer on the register · serial U2061479
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While conducting a 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight, the commercial pilot was landing a nose wheel-equipped airplane on a gravel-covered off airport site, with a prevailing left crosswind. The pilot stated he inadvertently allowed the airplane to touchdown to the right of the landing site, and the right wing and nose wheel struck rock-covered terrain. The nose wheel subsequently collapsed, and the airplane pivoted to the right, followed by the left wing striking the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,200 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 6,120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,626.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2005; 17 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SWD Seward AK at 12:30 pm
- Destination: Seward AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft
- 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.
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.