Cessna U206F accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, September 13, 2013
On September 13, 2013 at about 9:15 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna U206F, registered N8316Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Kotzebue, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper decision to continue visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 2013 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F, built 1976 · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8316Q · no longer on the register · serial U20603177
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Before departing from a remote hunting site on a short cross-country flight, the accident pilot obtained a pilot report from another pilot who had just flown the route. The pilot report indicated 25 miles visibility, clouds at 1,400 feet, and a cloud ceiling at 1,800 feet. The airplane departed uneventfully, and, about 15 minutes into the 30-minute flight, the airplane approached the last ridge before the destination airport. The top of the ridge was about 1,950 feet mean sea level. The pilot stated that the destination airport peninsula was visible in the distance with an estimated 500 feet of clearance between the top of the ridge and the base of the cloud ceiling. He added that, as the airplane neared the ridge, the airplane encountered a severe downdraft and an abrupt entry into instrument meteorological conditions and then subsequently collided with the ridge about 30 to 50 feet below the ridgeline. However, review of handheld GPS data revealed that the airplane was in a constant climb during the minutes leading up to the collision with the ridge except for a 6-foot descent just before the collision. Additionally, the nearest reporting weather station reported a cloud ceiling about 50 feet below the ridgeline. The pilot noted no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, it is likely that the pilot was flying the airplane low to stay below the clouds and then began to climb the airplane to clear the ridge when he entered instrument meteorological conditions as the airplane approached the ridge.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: 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: 9,275 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 9,137 as pilot in command; 7,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 24, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,165 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 2013; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 634 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kiana AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Kotzebue AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from OTZ, 25 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
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 N8316Q 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.