Cessna U206F accident near Newhalen, Alaska, March 5, 2022
On March 5, 2022 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1975 Cessna U206F, registered N1853Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Newhalen, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into an area of instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot experiencing a loss of visual reference and subsequent 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
- March 5, 2022 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Newhalen, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F, built 1975 · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1853Q · registry record · serial U20602943
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator reported that the pilot had diverted to an alternate airport due to weather. As the flight approached the alternate airport, the weather had deteriorated, and the pilot requested a Special VFR clearance. The flight continued to follow the lake shoreline and the pilot recalled circling once while waiting for the clearance. Prior to reaching “the mouth of the river”, the pilot made the decision to divert to another alternate airport, due to the visibility getting worse as they approached the airport. As the pilot began to make an approximate 20° right hand turn over the frozen, snow-covered lake, he noticed the airplane was losing altitude and remembers increasing power and pitch, around this point he “switched to instruments”. The passenger recalled looking to his right and remarked it was like looking at a “white sheet of paper” with the sky blending with the frozen lake. Moments later, the airplane impacted the snow-covered ice while in the turn to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The operator reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Loss of visual reference during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Whiteout › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 620 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 565 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 3, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,139.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 14, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-520F (piston); 3,719 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9Z8 Levelock AK at 8:58 pm
- Destination: ILI Port Alsworth AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:09 pm from PAIL, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAIL 052209Z 24004KT 1SM -SN BR VV015 00/00 A3000 RMK A02 P0001 T00000000
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 22, 2022. 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 | Accident Pictures | 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.