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ANC13CA080

2013-08-15 · Sleetmute, Alaska, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PASL

Current FAA registration · N2141F

Make / Model
CESSNA U206
Year of manufacture
1965 · 48 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20200806
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1CADF

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during a postmaintenance flight, while remaining in the airport traffic pattern, the engine lost all power. The pilot selected an area of tree-covered terrain as a forced landing site, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. He stated that the reason for the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation, and that he did not verify the position of the fuel selector valve before the flight. He added that when the airplane recently underwent maintenance, the fuel selector valve handle was positioned to the right fuel tank, which had a slight amount of fuel remaining. The pilot said that he routinely used the left fuel tank, which contained sufficient fuel for the flight. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that during a postmaintenance flight, while remaining in the airport traffic pattern, the engine lost all power. The pilot selected an area of tree-covered terrain as a forced landing site, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. He stated that the reason for the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation, and that he did not verify the position of the fuel selector valve before the flight. He added that when the airplane recently underwent maintenance, the fuel selector valve handle was positioned to the right fuel tank, which had a slight amount of fuel remaining. The pilot said that he routinely used the left fuel tank, which contained sufficient fuel for the flight.   The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Fuel system-Fuel selector/shutoff valve-Inadequate inspection - C
  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_ANC13CA080.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel starvation, maintenance). All research papers