Cessna U206G accident near Nanwalek, Alaska, March 5, 2010
On March 5, 2010 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna U206G, registered N734JM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Nanwalek, Alaska (Nanwalek Airport). 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 decision to land on a short, icy runway with poor braking action, resulting in a runway overrun/excursion and collision with a snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2010 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Nanwalek, Alaska · Nanwalek Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N734JM · no longer on the register · serial U20604839
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to touchdown on the snow and ice covered gravel runway with 850 feet of usable length, the pilot reported that the airplane floated a little, but the touchdown point and touchdown were normal. When he applied the brakes, he indicated that there was very little to no braking action. The airplane slid towards the right while in a left yaw, which he was able to correct when the braking action improved. The airplane continued to the end of the runway and impacted a snowbank. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane. He noted that he walked the runway after the accident, and determined that the braking action would have been slightly better had he landed in the opposite direction. The US Department of Transportation’s Alaska Airport Supplement indicates that the runway should be visually checked for condition before use.
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
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 › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command; 490 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 5, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,676 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 3, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Smokey Bay Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: PAHO Homer AK at 8:00 pm
- Destination: KEB Nanwalek AK
- Runway 01, 850 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 28.69 inHg
- Observation at 8:19 pm from PASO, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 22, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Nanwalek Airport Master Record | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N734JM: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna U206 Stationair 798 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES 9,485 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Nanwalek Airport · nearest airport
- Homer Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,146 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC10LA021.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.