Cessna TU206G accident near Cordova, Alaska, January 18, 2006
On January 18, 2006 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna TU206G, registered N5371U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cordova, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, and his delay in aborting the takeoff, which resulted an overrun and subsequent collision with an embankment. A factor contributing to the accident was the snow-covered airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2006 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cordova, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206G · all TU206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N5371U · no longer on the register · serial U20605252
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was departing from a snow-covered airstrip on a Title 14 CFR Part 135 flight in a tundra tire/tricycle gear-equipped airplane. The airstrip was about 1,700 feet long, and while waiting for his client, the pilot said that 3 to 4 inches of snow fell in the area. Before departure, he removed snow from the wings, calculated a go/no-go position on the airstrip for liftoff, and began the takeoff. During the takeoff roll, the pilot said the airplane would not lift off the snow-covered surface, and he decided to abort the takeoff slightly beyond his predetermined go/no-go mark. The airplane departed off the left side of the airstrip, and collided with brush and an embankment. The airplane received damage to the propeller, engine cowling, and the right wing. In the optional portion of the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) submitted by the pilot, the pilot wrote that his safety recommendation to prevent the accident was to "taxi back and forth on the runway to allow plane to accelerate faster."
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,843 hours in all; 3,842 in this make and model; 143 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 6,743 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,339 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 1, 2006; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Copper River Air Taxi
The flight
- Departed from: Cordova AK at 5:45 pm
- Destination: PACV Cordova AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N5371U 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.