Cessna U206E accident near Mcgrath, Alaska, September 2, 1997
On September 2, 1997, a Cessna U206E, registered N9129M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcgrath, Alaska (Tatitna airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in overload failure of the nose gear and a nose over. Factors associated with the accident were: the pilot's failure to follow procedures and directives by neglecting to tie down and secure the load, and his failure to ensure that the passengers had seatbelts available and utilized them.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1997
- Place
- Mcgrath, Alaska · Tatitna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206E · all U206Es on the register
- Registration
- N9129M · no longer on the register · serial U20601529
- 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 airplane landed hard and bounced into the air. During the subsequent touchdown, the nose wheel separated, and the airplane nosed over onto its back. Metallurgical examination of the nose wheel strut and forks revealed overstress fractures. The cargo was not secured, and struck the back seat passenger during the nose over. The aft passenger sustained serious neck injuries. The cargo was loaded on top of the aft seatbelts, making them unavailable to the aft passenger. The front seat, pilot-rated, passenger did not use the available lap belt or shoulder harness.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 340 in the last 90 days; 121 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,824 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 8, 1997; 44 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: Z41 Lake Hood Strip AK at 6:30 pm
- Destination: AK48 Tatitna AK
- Runway 24, 1,200 ft by 12 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 N9129M 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.