History of Flight
On June 1, 2010, about 1705 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna U206F airplane, N59352, sustained substantial damage when it impacted an unoccupied building and terrain following a loss of control during the initial climb from runway 25 at Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. A postcrash fire consumed much of the airplane. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The airplane was owned by Cavner & Julian, Inc., Port Alsworth, Alaska. Of the five people on board, the commercial pilot/airplane owner and three passengers sustained serious injuries. The remaining passenger, the 4-year-old child of the pilot and the right front seat passenger, died at the scene. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was en route to the airplane owner’s lodge in Port Alsworth.
Witnesses reported that just after takeoff, the airplane was flying in a nose high, tail low attitude as it descended into a commercial area about 1/2 mile west of the airport. One witness, also a pilot, commented that the airplane appeared to be “laboring” and possibly had an aft center of gravity or was very heavy. Another witness stated that the airplane was extremely nose high and tail low and was not climbing. The airplane was seen to enter a slight right turn, then lose altitude before crashing into an empty parking lot and adjacent unoccupied wood-framed single story building. Shortly after impact, the airplane began to burn, which spread to a portion of the building.
The pilot stated that he recalled taking off and thinking everything was okay. He departed with 30 degrees of flaps, which he said was standard for the Cessna 206. At 150 feet above ground, he raised flaps from 30 to 20 degrees and detected “an issue” with the airplane. He was concerned about maintaining airspeed and not stalling. He remembered initiating a slight right turn and did not recall anything after that.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 33, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and sea ratings. He was issued a second class airman medical certificate without limitations on March 18, 2010. His flight logbook indicated 1,717.9 hours total time and 81.1 hours in a Cessna 206, all in the accident airplane, between March 20 and May 26, 2010. He received instruction in the Cessna 206 on March 20-21, 2010, completed a flight review, and received an endorsement for acting as pilot in command of a high performance airplane.
An aviation mechanic/pilot who interacted and flew with the pilot stated he saw the pilot operate the airplane in what he believed was an overweight condition on four or five separate occasions over a 4-week period. He stated that he had not seen the pilot weigh any cargo or perform a weight and balance calculation during that time.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane (serial number U20603221) was manufactured in 1976 and had a standard airworthiness certificate for normal operations. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-520-F engine rated at 285 horsepower at 2,700 rpm, equipped with a three-blade McCauley propeller. The airplane was maintained under an annual inspection program. An annual inspection was completed on August 14, 2009, at an airframe total time of 6,888.2 hours. On March 24, 2010, floats were replaced with wheel landing gear; on April 19, 2010, a gravel deflector kit was installed. An Aerocet cargo pack (STC SA00096SE) was installed during the week of April 26, 2010. The mechanic stated the owner said he would have his inspection authorized mechanic conduct the updated weight and balance calculation later; no maintenance log entry or updated weight and balance calculation was discovered.
The Aerocet cargo pack weighed 35 pounds with an arm of 51.0 inches and a moment of 1,785.0 pound-inches; its weight capacity was 300 pounds. The flight manual supplement stated that no more than 10 degrees of flaps should be used for takeoff at weights above 3,450 pounds due to the effect of the cargo pack on climb performance. This supplement was not located in the wreckage or in the pilot operating handbook.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather observation station was Merrill Field Airport, 1/2 nm east of the accident site. At 1653, the METAR reported winds 200 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 miles, light rain, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet, broken at 10,000 feet, temperature 15°C, dew point 7°C, altimeter 29.48 inches.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in a parking lot adjacent to a single-story unoccupied building on the northwest corner of Ingra and 7th Street in downtown Anchorage, elevation 111 feet msl. The airplane impacted on a magnetic heading of 270 degrees. An impact mark was found on a multi-story building across the street. The tail cone and tail spring were found in the parking lot. One power line was down. The main wreckage came to rest on a heading of west, right side against a mound of earth and concrete. The wreckage consisted of burned remains of the right wing and fuselage, empennage, left wing, engine and propeller assembly, and cargo.
Survival Aspects
According to the 16-year-old rear left seat passenger, the pilot was in the front left seat, the pilot’s wife in the front right seat, and the four-year-old passenger was unrestrained and seated on his mother’s lap. The two-year-old passenger sat unrestrained on her lap in the rear left seat; he was not sharing a seatbelt. Multiple witnesses came to aid as the airplane burned. Rescuers held up the left wing while others accessed occupants through the left forward exit. One rescuer reported the cabin was loaded from floor to ceiling, requiring removal of some cargo to reach occupants. The pilot was the first pulled out, followed by the two-year-old, then the rear seat passenger, then the front right seat passenger. The front right seat passenger was unable to hold onto the four-year-old during impact; cargo shifted and trapped the child between cargo and instrument panel, preventing initial responders from reaching him.
Weight and Balance Calculations
The most recent weight and balance calculation (April 19, 2010) showed empty weight 2,165.5 pounds and useful load 1,434.5 pounds, not including the cargo pack. Cargo recovered and weighed included 55 pieces of lumber (43 eight-foot 2x4s at 9 lbs each = 387 lbs; 12 eight-foot 1x2.5s at 4 lbs each = 48 lbs), survival kit (15.2 lbs), car battery (40.4 lbs), tile (333.1 lbs), pots and pans (29.8 lbs), food and grocery items (173.4 lbs), clothing (72 lbs), backpack (16.2 lbs), bag with mini pool (12 lbs), tool bag (12.2 lbs), laptop backpack (12 lbs). Occupant weights totaled 546.4 pounds. Documented cargo, occupants, cargo pack, and estimated fuel load came to 2,092.7 pounds. Gross weight at time of accident was conservatively calculated to be 4,258.2 pounds, 658.2 pounds over the approved gross weight of 3,600 pounds. Center of gravity was estimated between 53.65 and 58.522 inches, between 3.95 and 8.82 inches aft of the rear limit.
The pilot stated his estimation of cargo, passengers, and fuel was 1,400-1,450 pounds; all weights were estimated. He stated he had 360 pounds of fuel. He loaded one heavy item toward the front of the cargo pack and lighter items toward the rear. He did not use straps or a cargo net; he used twine or nylon to secure totes and suitcases.
Additional Information
Title 14 CFR Part 91.9 requires compliance with operating limitations in the approved flight manual. The Cessna Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the U206F specified maximum takeoff weight 3,600 pounds, forward CG limit 42.5 inches at 3,600 pounds, aft CG limit 49.7 inches, and use of no more than 20 degrees of flaps for takeoff.
Multiple witnesses saw the pilot loading the airplane the day prior and the day of the accident; several commented the airplane was full and it was difficult to see where passengers were sitting. Witnesses reported tires were extremely low or flat due to excessive weight.