Cessna U206G accident near Whittier, Alaska, August 19, 2006
On August 19, 2006 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna U206G, registered N4975U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Whittier, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with terrain while maneuvering to reverse direction in a pass. A factor contributing to the accident was clouds in the pass.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 2006 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Whittier, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4975U · no longer on the register · serial U20605179
- 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 was transporting three passengers in a float-equipped airplane through a mountain pass during a Title 14, CFR Part 135, on-demand air taxi flight. When the flight arrived in the area of the pass, the pilot noted that the weather conditions at his location included few clouds at 3,000 feet, and a visibility of seven miles. The weather conditions on the other side of the pass included a ceiling of 2,000 feet, and a visibility of two miles. The pilot had flown through the approximately 2.3 mile-long pass numerous times. He noted haze along the right side of the pass, and proceeded to fly along the left side of the pass, about 1,400 feet msl. He was maintaining visual contact with the ground, but after looking up, his view to the front became all white. He started a right turn to reverse course, but the airplane's floats collided with up sloping terrain on the left side of the pass.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,587 hours in all; 9,050 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 15,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,760 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2006; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,744 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAHD Anchorage AK at 12:20 pm
- Destination: Valdez AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 12 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 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.
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.