Cessna 206G accident near Skwentna, Alaska, August 2, 1995
On August 2, 1995 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Cessna 206G, registered N4596U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER HANDLING OF THE AIRCRAFT (PROLONGED YAWING MANEUVER DURING STEP TAXI TURN), WHICH RESULTED IN UNCOVERING OF THE FUEL TANK OUTLETS AND SUBSEQUENT FUEL STARVATION DURING TAKEOFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1995 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206G · all 206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4596U · registry record · serial U20604990
- 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 PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE DEPARTING A REMOTE LAKE IN A FLOAT EQUIPPED AIRPLANE ON THE RETURN PORTION OF AN ON-DEMAND CHARTER FLIGHT. THE PILOT PERFORMED A HIGH SPEED STEP TAXI AT THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE LAKE, WHICH INCLUDED ABOUT 225 DEGREES OF TURN TO THE LEFT. AT THE COMPLETION OF THE TURN, THE PILOT CONTINUED WITH THE TAKEOFF RUN ON AN EASTERLY HEADING. THE RIGHT FUEL TANK HAD BEEN SELECTED FOR TAKEOFF, AND IT CONTAINED ABOUT 15 GALLONS OF FUEL. ABOUT 45 SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE QUIT, AND THE PILOT PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN AN ADJACENT CREEK. DURING THE LANDING, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A GRAVEL BAR AND NOSED OVER. A POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY MALFUNCTION. THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND DEVELOPED FULL POWER. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK, PROLONGED UNCOORDINATED FLIGHT SUCH AS SLIPS OR SKIDS WITH LOW FUEL RESERVES COULD UNCOVER THE FUEL TANK OUTLETS, CAUSING FUEL STARVATION AND ENGINE STOPPAGE. THE STEP TAXI TURN WAS A (PROLONGED) WINGS LEVEL TURN.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,120 hours in all; 2,950 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 9,020 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,057 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 21, 1995; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LHD Anchorage AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4596U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.