Cessna U206F accident near Hope, Alaska, May 1, 1997
On May 1, 1997 at about 8:01 pm local time, a Cessna U206F, registered N14C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hope, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of engine power resulting from fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper positioning of the fuel selector, and the pilot's failure to identify and correct the deficiency during the ensuing emergency descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1997 · about 8:01 pm local time
- Place
- Hope, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N14C · registry record · serial U20602803
- 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 reported he was starting a descent to his destination airport when the engine began to lose power. He said he was unable to restart the engine, and made a forced landing into trees. The pilot related he had been flying the airplane with the left fuel tank selected, and he didn't recall if he switched to the right tank during the emergency descent. A passenger seated in the right front seat stated the left fuel gauge was indicating empty, and that the right tank fuel gauge was indicating full. He said the fuel selector was on the left tank, and when he told the pilot he should switch fuel tanks, the pilot reportedly told him to 'relax.' The passenger stated that the pilot did not switch tanks. Postaccident inspection disclosed the left fuel tank contained an unusable quantity of fuel, and the right tank was full. The airplane's engine was removed from the airplane, as well as the electric fuel boost pump. The engine was started and ran on a test stand without any observed mechanical anomalies. The fuel pump was also tested and found functional.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command; 25 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,475 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 12, 1997; 37 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: Montague Island AK at 2:20 pm
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:05 pm from ANC, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N14C 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.