Cessna 206 accident near Eveleth, Minnesota, September 25, 1983
On September 25, 1983 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N7169Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eveleth, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1983 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Eveleth, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N7169Q · no longer on the register · serial N7169Q
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE RETURNING FROM A FISHING TRIP IN ONTARIO, CANADA, THE PLT LANDED AT CRANE LAKE, MN, WHERE HE CLEARED CUSTOMS & HAD 10 GAL OF FUEL ADDED TO THE RIGHT FUEL TANK. HE THEN FLEW TO EVELETH, MN, APRX 90 MI AWAY. FROM EVELETH, HE PROCEED TOWARD ELY LAKE, MN. WHEN HE WAS APRX 3 MI FROM ELY LAKE, THE ENG LOST POWER AS HE STARTED A DESCENT. HE SWITCHED FUEL TANKS & TRIED TO START THE ENG, BUT WAS UNABLE. REPORTEDLY, THE LEFT FUEL GAUGE WAS INDICATING THE TANK WAS STILL 3/4 FULL WHEN THE ENG LOST POWER. DURING AN APCH TO LAND IN A WATER FILLED, PIT MINE, THE ACFT WAS SLOWED TO NEAR THE STALL SPEED AS THE PLT FLEW OVER POWER LINES. HE THEN DOVE THE PLANE TOWARD THE WATER & FLARED, BUT REPORTEDLY, THE PLANE STALLED WHEN IT WAS APRX 5 FT ABOVE THE WATER. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE RIGHT FLOAT COLLAPSED & THE SPREADER BAR, THE RIGHT WING TIP & PROPELLER WERE DAMAGED. A INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ENG LOST POWER DUE TO A LACK OF FUEL.
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: 2,721 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 2,721 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,485 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1983; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Crane Lake MN
- Destination: Ely Lake MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.