Cessna TU206 accident near Ellsworth, Maine, August 1, 2025
On August 1, 2025 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna TU206, registered N9493Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Ellsworth, Maine. 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 visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to operate the airplane with a known deficiency of the floats, which resulted in an accumulation of water in the forward compartments of the floats, a forward center of gravity, and subsequent nose over during a water landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 2025 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ellsworth, Maine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206 G, built 1981 · all TU206s on the register
- Registration
- N9493Z · registry record · serial U20606527
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the amphibious airplane reported that he and a passenger had departed earlier that morning from the lake where the airplane was based and flew to a local airport to meet with a mechanic where they discussed future work to the airplane. Afterwards, they departed and flew back to the lake and conducted a normal water landing. As the airplane settled into the water, the pilot reported a more than normal nose down tendency. As the airplane slowed to nearly a full stop with idle power, the forward section of the floats continued to sink, and the airplane subsequently nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that he had noticed on previous flights that the floats seemed to accumulate a large amount of water in the forward three to four compartments of each float. He stated “I feel like it was gallons of water per compartment,” but he had not measured the exact quantity of water that he had pumped from each compartment. The pilot described some steps he took to determine the nature of the issue and tried to learn, “what is considered [a lot] or too much water per compartment.” Following the accident, he reported that upon righting the airplane the forward 5 compartments of the floats were “completely flooded” and the aft 2 compartments contained no water. According to an advisory circular regarding seaplane safety published by the Federal Aviation Administration, “A small amount of water, e.g., a cupful, is not unusual and can occur from condensation or normal seepage.” It also stated, “Finding an excessive amount of water should cue the pilot to look for the source of the leak.” Based on this information, the pilot should have discontinued flying the airplane from water until the nature and source of the leaking floats had been appropriately addressed. Additionally, it is likely that the excessive water accumulation in the forward portion of the floats moved the airplane’s center of gravity forward such that it resulted in the noseover during landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Damaged/degraded
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
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: 21,830 hours in all; 34.8 in this make and model; 125.6 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 13,394 as pilot in command; 1,305 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 21, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,486 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 7, 2025; 19.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors TIO-520-M10B (piston); 169 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OLD Old Town ME at 8:34 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from BHB, 11 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KBHB 012056Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM SCT070 24/08 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP214 T02440083 55002
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on November 20, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Advisory Circular 91-69A | PDF, 21 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA285.