Cessna U206G N4596U

Summary

On 23 May 2016 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna U206G registered N4596U, operated by Rustair Inc, was involved in an accident near Chinita Bay, Alaska, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 May 2016 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Chinita Bay, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.6603, -150.9003

Aircraft

Cessna U206G

Registration

N4596U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Rustair Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Chinita Bay

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA272

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi, resulting in a tail strike and aft fuselage substantial damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, after landing he taxied the tri-cycle landing gear-equipped airplane on a rocky, soft sand beach and the nose wheel bounced off of a sand berm. He reported that when the nose wheel bounced, the tail section contacted the ground. He recalled that he parked the airplane, inspected the empennage and determined the damage to be minor, and departed on a subsequent flight. However, a subsequent inspection of the empennage by the company's mechanic revealed that the aft fuselage bulkhead had sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that prior to the taxi there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane or any of its systems that would have prevented normal flight operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.