Cessna 206 accident near Bethel, Alaska, May 25, 1995
On May 25, 1995 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N19BR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
A FAILURE OF THE #2 MAIN ENGINE BEARING AND SUBSEQUENT FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT. A FACTOR RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 1995 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N19BR · registry record · serial U206002992
- 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 COMMERCIAL PILOT DEPARTED ON AN AIR TAXI CARGO FLIGHT TO A REMOTE DESTINATION. ABOUT 20 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT, AND THE PILOT PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON ROUGH TERRAIN IN A STREAM BED. AFTER RECOVERY OF THE AIRPLANE 5 MONTHS LATER, AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE #2 MAIN BEARING HAD FAILED AND THE CRANKSHAFT HAD FRACTURED THROUGH THE CRANK CHEEK BETWEEN THE #2 ROD AND #2 MAIN BEARING JOURNALS. THE #2 MAIN BEARING WAS SEVERELY FRAGMENTED AND DEFORMED, AND THE NUMBER 2 MAIN BEARING SADDLE WAS SEVERELY DEFORMED. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CRANKSHAFT INDICATED THAT IT HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE. THE EXAMINATION ALSO DISCLOSED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT CONFORMED TO THE MANUFACTURER'S MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR HARDNESS AND NITRIDING. RECORDS SHOWED THE ENGINE HAD BEEN REBUILT BY THE MANUFACTURER ON 7/23/92 AND INSTALLED IN THE AIRPLANE ON 9/3/92. AFTER BEING REBUILT, IT HAD ACCUMULATED 1154 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME. AT 1004 HOURS, THE OIL PUMP HAD BEEN SERVICED DUE TO LOW OIL PRESSURE. DURING A 100 HOUR INSPECTION AT 1140 HOURS, METAL WAS FOUND IN THE OIL FILTER AND THE #4 CYLINDER WAS CHANGED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,425 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 147 in the last 90 days; 103 in the last 30 days; 1,299 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,615 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 9, 1995; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arctic Circle Air Service INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BET AK at 12:40 pm
- Destination: VAK Chevak AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°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.