Cessna T206H accident near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, September 27, 2005
On September 27, 2005 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna T206H, registered N206WK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. It was a personal 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 unexpected wave that the airplane encountered during the landing flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2005 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206H · all T206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N206WK · registry record · serial T20608318
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amphibian airplane contacted an unexpected wave and sank during the water landing. The pilot stated he flew over the intended landing area which he was very familiar with. He stated the water looked clear so he approached the channel on a downwind leg. He stated he turned base leg over the shoreline and turned onto final approach into the wind. He stated that when he entered the landing flare he looked out his side window to judge his height and he "saw a very large wave" that was in his path. He stated that there was no way to avoid the wave so he added power to try and "catch the top of the wave." However, the floats caught the wave and the airplane was "catapulted" forward into the water. The tip of the right float broke off and the airplane sank nose down in 10 to 12 foot deep water. The pilot reported there was approximately a 6-inch chop of the surface of the water at the time of the landing. He stated he was landing to the southwest and the winds were from the southwest at approximately 12 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 301 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 148 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GRB Green Bay WI at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.