Cessna U206 accident near Chicken, Alaska, September 5, 2017
On September 5, 2017 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna U206, registered N734GW, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Chicken, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a sign while taking off from a road.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2017 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chicken, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206 G, built 1978 · all U206s on the register
- Registration
- N734GW · registry record · serial U20604832
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while taking off from a road, the airplane struck a road sign with its left wing. He explained that, during takeoff, the airplane had accelerated rapidly and that, in the next moment, he felt a lurch to the left. The parking brake, which he had forgotten to release, then released. He added that he had "incorrectly assumed" that the brake had grabbed and caused the lurch, not the unknown to him, sign strike. Subsequently, he corrected with rudder and continued the flight. He added that the airplane flew "normally" but that it had a "slightly left-wing heavy feel." He continued the flight without further incident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 5,500 in this make and model; 360 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Chicken AK
- Destination: 6K8 Tok AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PAEG, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 4, 2017. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N734GW 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.