Cessna 206 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, January 27, 1996
On January 27, 1996 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N5293X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska (Ralph Wein Memorial airport). It was a positioning flight 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 pilot's poor judgment in conducting the flight in the existing high gusting wind conditions. A factor associated with the accident was the operator allowing/dispatching the accident flight in the prevailing weather conditions, and the icy ramp/taxi area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1996 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · Ralph Wein Memorial · 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
- N5293X · registry record · serial U20605612
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that while taxiing from landing, as he was making a right turn into the ramp area, the wind lifted the right wing causing the left wing and propeller to strike the ground. The taxi surface was hard-packed snow and ice, and braking action was poor. The 1251 wind was reported as 35 knots with gusts to 41. The Director of Operations (D.O.) stated that the flight went through the normal flight following/dispatch procedures. The D.O. said there were no written company standards addressed when flights should be cancelled due to excessive surface wind velocity. In addition, the D.O. indicated that the primary responsibility for determining if the winds/weather were suitable for the flight to be conducted rested with the pilot-in-command.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,870 hours in all; 466 in this make and model; 262 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 2,785 as pilot in command; 1,605 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,428 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 26, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORV Noorvik AK at 4:09 pm
- Destination: OTZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 35 knots, gusting 41
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 3°F (-16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from OTZ
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.
Other NTSB records under N5293X 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.