Cessna P206C accident near Palmer, Alaska, October 17, 2009
On October 17, 2009 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna P206C, registered N8665Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Palmer, Alaska (Four Corners Airport). It was a personal 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 decision to land on a short gravel runway, and his failure to initiate a go-around, which resulted in an overrun and on-ground collision with a fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2009 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · Four Corners Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206C · all P206Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8665Z · no longer on the register · serial P206-0465
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was on a personal flight when the accident occurred. The pilot said he was unable to stop while landing before going off the end of the runway and colliding with a fence. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. He said this was the first time he had attempted to land on the short gravel runway. An aviation mechanic who helped recover the airplane said the airplane had touched down about 400 feet from the beginning of the 1,300 foot long runway. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot wrote that he should not have landed at that airstrip.
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
What happened, in order
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Landing distance › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Not specified
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway/landing area length › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,562 hours in all; 371 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,522 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 27, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,755 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 58AK Palmer AK at 12:15 pm
- Destination: 14AK Palmer AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,300 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N8665Z 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.