Cessna 206 N4886U

Summary

On 31 August 2008 at about 00:00 local time, a Cessna 206 registered N4886U, operated by Howard Hugent, was involved in an accident near Galena, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 August 2008 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Galena, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

64.7381, -158.9400

Aircraft

Cessna 206

Registration

N4886U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Howard Hugent

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wasilla → Kiana

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC08LA113

1 person had minor injuries.

The en route loss of engine power due to a mechanic's failure to tighten a fuel line fitting, which became disconnected in flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that while in level cruise flight during a Part 91 personal flight, the engine began to run rough and lose power. After seeing the engine fuel pressure fluctuating, the pilot switched fuel tanks. He said the roughness improved momentarily, followed by a strong smell of fuel in the cockpit, which was followed by a complete loss of engine power. Unable to restart the engine, the pilot selected a marshy tree-covered site as a forced landing area. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with trees, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. During a postaccident examination, an FAA inspector discovered that the main fuel line between the engine driven fuel pump and the main fuel servo assembly was disconnected, and noted that neither the fuel line nor the connectors were damaged during the accident. A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that a maintenance technician had removed the fuel line about 1.9 hours before the accident. During an interview with the FAA inspector, the maintenance technician that removed and reinstalled the fuel line stated that he could not specifically recall if he had tightened the fuel line fitting after the initial installation, and presumed he had not.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.