Cessna U206C N3923G
20 September 2023 · Challis, Idaho, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 September 2023 at about 20:45 local time, a Cessna U206C registered N3923G, operated by Middle Fork Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Challis, Idaho, United States. 4 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Challis, Idaho, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bernard USFS (U54)
- Coordinates
- 44.9794, -114.7348
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206C
- Registration
- N3923G
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1967
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Middle Fork Aviation Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Challis
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR23LA350
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The failure of the left main landing gear spring assembly due to a fatigue crack. Contributing to the accident was the improper maintenance on the landing gear spring assembly which allowed corrosion to develop.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was in the process of taking off when the left main gear spring assembly fractured. The airplane veered off the runway and ground contact substantially damaged the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator. Metallurgical examination of the failed gear spring assembly revealed it failed due to fatigue cracking and overload stresses. Further examination revealed corrosion underneath the primer paint and inside the dimples of the shot-peened area, which likely initiated the development of the fatigue crack. A records review revealed that in March of 2010, the left and right main gear spring assemblies were inspected, heat treated, shot peened and painted with a zinc-rich primer. It is likely that corrosion existed on the landing gear before the application of the primer paint, and that the inadequate removal of the corrosion allowed fatigue cracking to propagate until the left assembly failed in overstress.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna U206C accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jul 2025 | Cessna U206C | Gulkana, Alaska, United States | Copper Valley Air Service LLC | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2014 | Cessna U206C | Chitina, Alaska, United States | Copper Valley Air Service | No injuries | - |
| 2 Apr 2011 | Cessna U206C | Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States | Hagerstown Aircraft Services Inc | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 2009 | Cessna U206C | Brainerd, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 2008 | Cessna U206C | Nazca, Peru | Aero Ica | Fatal | 5 |
| 8 Jun 2008 | Cessna U206C | Fremont, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 6 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2023 | Black Sheep CCX-1865 | Big Creek Ranger Station, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 2023 | Piper PA-18 | McCall, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 May 2023 | Cessna 140 | American Falls, Idaho, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 2023 | Cessna 182N | St Maries, Idaho, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jan 2023 | Maule MX-7-160 | Minidoka, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 2023 | Reynolds Ronald B TEAM ACFT Z-MAX | Rigby, Idaho, United States | Reynolds Ronald B | Serious injuries | - |