Cessna 206 accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, August 22, 1999
On August 22, 1999 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N5446X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into adverse weather conditions after becoming lost/disoriented. Factors in the accident were rising terrain, a blind/box canyon, and weather conditions consisting of clouds, rain, and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1999 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N5446X · no longer on the register · serial U20605762
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot departed from a remote lake, elevation 2,500 feet msl, after a week of hunting and camping. After departure, the pilot proceeded south along a river drainage. The pilot said a light rain was falling at the time, and he was orienting his position by pilotage, using a sectional map, and a topographic map. He said he became disoriented to his exact position, and turned into a small valley that was about five miles north of where he thought he was. The terrain was rising and he began climbing through 4,300 feet msl. Rain began to fall harder and the valley became too narrow to turn around. Clouds began to close around the airplane as he climbed to 5,300 feet msl. The terrain continued to rise, and the pilot noticed his airspeed was decreasing until the stall horn sounded. The airplane collided with rising, open terrain, and the floats were sheared off the airframe. The airplane received damage to the wings, propeller, and fuselage.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,608 hours in all; 837 in this make and model; 1,592 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 826 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 1999; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Galbraith Lake AK at 4:15 pm
- Destination: PABT Bettles AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.