Cessna U206G accident near Sleetmute, Alaska, July 31, 2016
On July 31, 2016 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna U206G, registered N206JC, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Sleetmute, Alaska (Sleetmute airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb after taking off from a wet runway and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2016 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sleetmute, Alaska · Sleetmute · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G, built 1980 · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N206JC · no longer on the register · serial U20605765
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was attempting a takeoff from an unimproved, wet airstrip with four passengers on board when the tricycle-geared airplane began to hydroplane, followed by a ground loop, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane's left wing and tail. A passenger stated that, after taxiing to the end of the runway and turning around, the pilot began the takeoff roll. After becoming airborne, the airplane immediately turned right, then left, then impacted the trees on the left side of the runway. Following the initial impact, the airplane began to travel backward through the trees. Photographs of the airplane taken immediately following the accident by the passenger show the flaps in the retracted position, the right main landing gear box protruding through the floorboard of the airplane, and substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage, just aft of the rear window.
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 control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 20,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 1, 2016
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-550 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLQ Sleetmute AK
- Destination: SLQ Sleetmute AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from SLQ, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 24, 2017. 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 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 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.