Cessna 206 accident near Funter Bay, Alaska, November 30, 1987
On November 30, 1987 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N9303R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Funter Bay, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 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
- November 30, 1987 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Funter Bay, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N9303R · registry record · serial U20606829
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, WITH A RIGHT QUARTERING TAILWIND OF 20 KNOTS GUSTING TO 25 KNOTS, A DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE PILOT FLEW THE AIRCRAFT AWAY FROM RISING TERRAIN BUT THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED INTO SMALL TREES AT FULL POWER IN THE TAKEOFF CONFIGURATION.
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: 8,781 hours in all; 1,108 in this make and model; 456 in the last 90 days; 8,711 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,164 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: JNU Juneau AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.