Cessna U206D accident near Nikolai, Alaska, August 25, 2012
On August 25, 2012 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna U206D, registered N729RV, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Nikolai, Alaska. 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 total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because the engine was not made available for examination.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2012 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Nikolai, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206D · all U206Ds on the register
- Registration
- N729RV · registry record · serial U206-1283
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that while in level cruise flight, the engine lost oil pressure, followed by smoke in the cockpit, and a total loss of engine power. The pilot selected a remote gravel bar along a river as a forced landing site. During the forced landing, the airplane slid across a shallow creek and impacted the river bank, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. According to the pilot, before the airplane could be recovered, the wreckage was subjected to rising creek waters, which washed the airplane’s logbooks downstream. The engine was not made available and was not examined and thus no determination was made as to why the engine lost power.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAAQ Palmer AK at 2:35 pm
- Destination: PANI Aniak AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 13 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PAMC, 72 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on January 9, 2013. 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 |
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
- N729RV on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna U206 Stationair 798 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES 9,485 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Warren "Bud" Woods Palmer Municipal · departed from
- Aniak Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC12LA093.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.