Cessna U206G accident near Chinita Bay, Alaska, May 23, 2016
On May 23, 2016 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna U206G, registered N4596U, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Chinita Bay, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi, resulting in a tail strike and aft fuselage substantial damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2016 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chinita Bay, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G 200, built 1979 · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4596U · registry record · serial U20604990
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after landing he taxied the tri-cycle landing gear-equipped airplane on a rocky, soft sand beach and the nose wheel bounced off of a sand berm. He reported that when the nose wheel bounced, the tail section contacted the ground. He recalled that he parked the airplane, inspected the empennage and determined the damage to be minor, and departed on a subsequent flight. However, a subsequent inspection of the empennage by the company's mechanic revealed that the aft fuselage bulkhead had sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that prior to the taxi there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane or any of its systems that would have prevented normal flight operations.
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
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 12,900 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 4, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,703 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 30, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-540-F (piston); 4,407 hours total
- Operator: Rustair INC
The flight
- Departed from: PALH Anchorage AK at 11:00 am
- Destination: Chinita Bay AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PAWD, 56 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4596U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.