Cessna 206G accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 24, 1996
On September 24, 1996 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 206G, registered N7312C, was destroyed in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood Seaplane Base airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper installation of a connecting bolt in the throttle linkage, which resulted in a worn/disconnected throttle arm, partial loss of engine power, and a forced landing after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 1996 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood Seaplane Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206G · all 206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N7312C · no longer on the register · serial U20603872
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft (acft) took off from Lake Hood Seaplane Base with 5 occupants aboard. Witnesses said that after lift-off, flaps were retracted & acft pitched to a climb attitude; but stopped climbing & began settling, then struck a utility pole at the airport boundary. It then crashed on a road, & a fire erupted. Calculations showed acft was within allowable weight & balance parameters. Engine exam revealed brass throttle arm (PN 632555-23) was worn & had disconnected from the throttle linkage. It had disconnected where a hard steel bushing (with splines) had been installed (pressed) in a mounting hole in the relatively soft throttle arm. The mounting hole had become 'U' shaped with one side open. The opening was large enough to allow passage of the throttle linkage connecting bolt & bushing. Deposits of material from the throttle arm were found on the bushing splines. The deposits were consistent with rotational motion of the bushing within the mounting hole, as if rotation occurred while tightening the bolt. Teledyne Continental Service Bulletin SB95-2, dated 4/21/95, provided inspection & lubrication procedures for throttle linkages at each 100 hr, progressive, and/or annual inspection. Acft had been flown 80 hrs since its previous (annual) inspection on 8/11/96.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 250 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,066 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 1996; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LHD AK at 8:00 pm
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 99 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.