Cessna TU206 accident near Deadhorse, Alaska, September 22, 2014
On September 22, 2014 at about 6:18 pm local time, a 1967 Cessna TU206, registered N206J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Deadhorse, Alaska (Badami airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The application of insufficient torque to the engine cylinder through bolts during the replacement of the No. 1 cylinder, which resulted in the displacement of the No. 2 bearing, oil starvation, and a catastrophic engine failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2014 · about 6:18 pm local time
- Place
- Deadhorse, Alaska · Badami · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206, built 1967 · all TU206s on the register
- Registration
- N206J · registry record · serial U2060965
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting an on-demand air taxi commuter flight. The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, the engine began vibrating violently and lost power and that the throttle and propeller controls were unresponsive. The cockpit subsequently filled with smoke. The pilot conducted a forced landing to the nearest and driest tundra patch, during which the airplane nosed over. Examination of the engine revealed a large hole on the top left side of the crankcase near the No. 2 cylinder. The No. 2 connecting rod had separated from the crankshaft connecting rod journal. The No. 2 main bearing support mating surfaces exhibited fretting damage. The No. 2 main bearing had shed material from its forward side and had shifted. Measurements of the breakaway torque on the cylinder through bolts indicated that the torque on the Nos. 2 and 3 cylinder through bolts was below the engine manufacturer's specification. It is likely that the insufficient torque on the Nos. 2 and 3 cylinder through bolts resulted in the fretting damage and the No. 2 main bearing shifting and interrupted the oil flow to the No. 2 connecting rod bearing. The interruption of oil flow resulted in the bearing becoming starved of oil and overheating and the subsequent separation of the connecting rod from the crankshaft. A review of maintenance records revealed that the No. 1 cylinder was replaced about 403 flight hours before the accident, which would have required the removal and installation of hardware on the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 cylinder through bolts. It is likely that insufficient torque was applied to the through bolts during the replacement of the No. 1 cylinder.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Replacement › Maintenance personnel
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport 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: 9,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 290 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,987.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 19, 2014; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors Inc. IO-520-F48B (piston); 4,782 hours total
- Operator: 70 North LLC
The flight
- Departed from: AK78 Deadhorse AK
- Destination: SCC Deadhorse AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,400 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PASC, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N206J 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.