Pilot Debrief

CESSNA U206G near Homer, AK — 2010-08-19

Final reportANC10LA074
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Date
2010-08-19
Location
Homer, AK, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA U206G
Registration
N9815M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, resulting in an off-airport emergency landing and subsequent nose over.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during descent, about 18 miles east of the destination airport, the airplane experienced a sudden and complete loss of engine power. After several unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine, the pilot made an emergency landing on a glacier. During the landing roll the airplane encountered a crevasse and nosed over. After the landing, the pilot reported seeing fuel leaking from both fuel caps on top of the wings and from the engine cowling. After the airplane was recovered, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector removed about 8 gallons of fuel from each of the two main fuel tanks. Fuel was also found in both header tanks. The inspector said the fuel appeared to be clear and free of water and other contaminants and flowed freely from the fuel tanks to the engine. The airplane was refueled prior to the flight, and fuel samples from the commercial fuel facility showed no signs of contamination. The engine was installed on an engine test stand and run through a series of power settings. No oil/fuel leaks or mechanical anomalies were found. No reason for the loss of engine power was discovered during the postaccident inspections.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before departure to ensure adequate fuel.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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