Cessna U206F accident near Juneau, Alaska, September 4, 1983
On September 4, 1983 at about 9:54 pm local time, a Cessna U206F, registered N8173Q, was destroyed in an accident near Juneau, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 4, 1983 · about 9:54 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8173Q · no longer on the register · serial 720603101
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHILE ON A SIGHTSEEING FLT, HE PROCEEDED UP THE TAKU INLET NORTHBOUND. FROM THERE, HE CONTINUED UP OVER THE TAKU GLACIER WHILE CLIMBING TO APRX 5300 FT MSL.THEREAFTER, HE TURNED TO PROCEED DOWN THE MENDENHALL GLACIER & BEGUN A DESCENT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT ABOUT 1 MIN LATER, HE DECIDED TO INITIATE A CLIMB & RETURN TO THE TAKU GLACIER BECAUSE THE MENDENHALL AREA APPEARED TO BE CLOSED DUE TO WX. REPORTEDLY, HE THEN ENCOUNTERED CLOUDS, APPLIED FULL POWER, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ACFT STRUCK RISING, GLACIAL TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 4700 FT MSL.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,870 hours in all; 324 in this make and model; 439 in the last 90 days; 1,722 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,918 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 1983; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Juneau Aeronautics, INC
The flight
- Departed from: 5Z1 Juneau AK at 9:24 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 3 |
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.