Cessna U206F accident near Kasilof, Alaska, July 22, 2015
On July 22, 2015 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 1974 Cessna U206F, registered N206CL, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Kasilof, Alaska. It was a business 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, which resulted in a jammed elevator and subsequent loss of control and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2015 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kasilof, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F F, built 1974 · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N206CL · no longer on the register · serial U20602538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing a remote tidal beach in a tricycle landing gear-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, right at liftoff, the airplane hit a piece of drift wood jamming the elevator in the nose-up position. As the airplane became airborne the pilot reduced power in an effort to control pitch. At about 15 feet above ground level the elevator broke free, and locked in the nose down position. The airplane impacted the beach sustaining substantial damage to the firewall and left elevator. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator control system › Damaged/degraded
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10,014 hours in all; 9,750 in this make and model; 256 in the last 90 days; 111 in the last 30 days; 9,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 22, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,979 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO520 (piston); 1,179 hours total
- Operator: Pacific Alaska Shellfish INC
The flight
- Departed from: Kasilof AK
- Destination: 6AK3 Nikiski AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from 5KS, 53 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 February 11, 2016. 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.
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.