Cessna 206B incident near Scammon Bay, Alaska, August 25, 1982
On August 25, 1982 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 206B, registered N3870G, suffered minor damage in an incident near Scammon Bay, Alaska (Scammon Bay airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- August 25, 1982 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Scammon Bay, Alaska · Scammon Bay · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3870G · no longer on the register · serial U206-0870
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHEN ON SHORT FINAL THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ADD POWER FOR GLIDE PATH CORRECTION BUT RECEIVED NO ENGINE RESPONSE. HE SWITCHED TANKS AND OPENED THE STRAINER DRAIN VALVE BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS WATER CONTAMINATION PROBLEMS. HE MADE A LEFT TURN TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A RIVER BANK, AND ABOUT FIVE SECONDS BEFORE TOUCH DOWN, SWITCHED ON THE FUEL BOOST PUMP. STILL NO RESPONSE FROM THE ENGINE OCCURRED. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON THE RIVER BANK, COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR AND RECEIVING OTHER AIRFRAME DAMAGE. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF WATER IN THE FUEL SUMP. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING FUEL CONTAMINATION FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,830 hours in all; 3,167 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 3,667 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,728 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SZ0 Emmonak AK at 1:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 2,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.