Cessna 206B accident near Challis, Idaho, August 25, 1993
On August 25, 1993 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Cessna 206B, registered N3431L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Challis, Idaho (Lower Loon Creek Airstrip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS. THE DOWNDRAFT WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1993 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- Challis, Idaho · Lower Loon Creek Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3431L · registry record · serial U-206-0731
- 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
WHILE MAKING A FULL FLAP, SHORT/SOFT FIELD APPROACH TO THE 1,000 FOOT LONG REMOTE MOUNTAIN AIRSTRIP, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED A STRONG DOWNDRAFT. HE ADDED FULL POWER, BUT HIS REMEDIAL ACTION WAS NOT ADEQUATE TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT FROM LANDING HARD ON THE WATER-SOAKED DIRT STRIP. DURING THE HARD LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR EXPERIENCED AN OVERLOAD AND COLLAPSED.
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: 9,100 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 110 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,360 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 21, 1993; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-ECF (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U15 at 12:35 pm
- Runway 0, 1,000 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.