Cessna 206 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, July 23, 1998
On July 23, 1998 at about 10:32 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N206F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Campbell Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 delay in aborting the takeoff prior to reaching the end of the lake. A factor associated with the accident was a downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1998 · about 10:32 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Campbell Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N206F · registry record · serial 2063015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing from a lake. He stated that, once airborne, the airplane would not climb. As the airplane neared the end of the lake, the pilot said that the airplane would not maintain altitude, forcing him to land on a road in a housing development adjacent to the departure end of the lake. The pilot said: 'I just hit a downdraft at the end of the lake. I just couldn't climb out.' The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and that the engine was producing sufficient power. During the landing, the airplane struck a tree and a pickup truck with two occupants inside. The two occupants of the pickup truck were not injured. The pilot said the wind conditions at the time of the accident were from the southeast at 10 knots, with peak gusts to 15 knots.
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, flight engineer
- 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: 15,000 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 12,500 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,421 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 25, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Port Alsworth AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.