Cessna U206 accident near Quinhagak, Alaska, January 10, 1982
On January 10, 1982 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Cessna U206, registered N756YN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quinhagak, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 1982 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Quinhagak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206 · all U206s on the register
- Registration
- N756YN · no longer on the register · serial 04464
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ENROUTE THE CENTER SEAT PASSENGER UNFASTENED HIS SEAT BELT AND CRAWLED UP BETWEEN THE TWO FRONT SEATS.WHILE APPROACHING QUINHAGAK THE PILOT HAD DIFFICULTY MAKING THE PASSENGER RETURN TO HIS SEAT.AFTER FINALLY GETTING THE PASSENGER SETTLED DOWN HE TURNED AROUND AND DISCOVERED HE HAD FLOWN INTO A CLOUD LAYER AND COULD NO LONGER SEE THE LIGHTS OF THE VILLAGE. WHILE DESCENDING THROUGH THE CLOUD LAYER TO PICK UP THE CITY LIGHTS THE AIRCRAFT FLEW INTO THE GROUND AND FLIPPED OVER.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,841 hours in all; 123 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 15,467 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,619 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tri-City Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 5:25 pm
- Destination: KWN Quinhagak AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 045° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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.