Cessna U206 N734GW

Summary

On 5 September 2017 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna U206 registered N734GW was involved in an accident near Chicken, Alaska, United States. One person was 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

5 September 2017 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Chicken, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

64.3181, -141.4197

Aircraft

Cessna U206

Registration

N734GW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chicken → Tok

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA549

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a sign while taking off from a road.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while taking off from a road, the airplane struck a road sign with its left wing. He explained that, during takeoff, the airplane had accelerated rapidly and that, in the next moment, he felt a lurch to the left. The parking brake, which he had forgotten to release, then released. He added that he had "incorrectly assumed" that the brake had grabbed and caused the lurch, not the unknown to him, sign strike. Subsequently, he corrected with rudder and continued the flight. He added that the airplane flew "normally" but that it had a "slightly left-wing heavy feel." He continued the flight without further incident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.