Cessna 206 accident near Mosquito Flats, Alaska, August 5, 1994
On August 5, 1994 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N5200X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mosquito Flats, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE MISSING NUMBER 6 CYLINDER PISTON PIN CAP AND THE SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE NUMBER 6 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD CAP. ALSO, THE LACK OF SUITABLE LANDING AREA FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1994 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Mosquito Flats, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N5200X · registry record · serial 206005591
- 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
THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE BEGAN TO DROP AND THE TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO RISE. BEFORE THE PILOT COULD RETURN TO TOK, ALASKA, THE ENGINE STOPPED PRODUCING POWER AND WOULD NOT WINDMILL. THE ENGINE DISASSEMBLY SHOWED THAT THE NUMBER 6 CYLINDER PISTON PIN CAP WAS MISSING AND THAT THE NUMBER 6 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD CAP WAS FRACTURED INTO THREE MAJOR PIECES. ALL BEARING SURFACES SHOWED SIGNS OF HEAT DAMAGE. THE AIRPLANE WAS FORCED TO LAND ON MUSKEG AND NOSED OVER DURING THE LANDING ROLL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 1,030 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,597 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 24, 1994; 32 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: TKJ Tok AK at 2:10 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.