At about 15:00 Alaska time, a Cessna 206 was damaged during an emergency landing at Stebbins Airport. The pilot was not injured. The intended routing of scheduled Part 135 commuter flight was from Unalakleet to St. Michael to Stebbins to Unalakleet. The pilot said the first leg was uneventful. She offloaded her passenger and took off on the next leg. On initial climb, the yoke showed only limited movement. She maintained control using trim and rudder and attempted to declare an emergency, but the push-to-talk switch had become inoperative. She was able to make shallow turns and control the airplanes altitude and pitch using a combination of flaps, trim and power. She was able to line up for landing at Stebbins, but was not able to flare before touchdown on the gravel runway. The nose gear struck first and collapsed, and the airplane departed the right side of the runway. An inspection revealed a wiring harness behind the instrument panel had become entangled in a series of bearings used to control yoke movement.
May 15, Stebbins, Alaska / Cessna Stationair
At about 15:00 Alaska time, a Cessna 206 was damaged during an emergency landing at Stebbins Airport. The pilot was not injured. The intended routing of scheduled Part 135 commuter flight was from Unalakleet to St. Michael to Stebbins to Unalakleet. The pilot said the first leg was uneventful. She offloaded her passenger and took off on the next leg. On initial climb, the yoke showed only limited movement. She maintained control using trim and rudder and attempted to declare an emergency, but the push-to-talk switch had become inoperative. She was able to make shallow turns and control the airplanes altitude and pitch using a combination of flaps, trim and power. She was able to line up for...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 206 on a scheduled commuter flight made an emergency landing at Stebbins Airport due to limited yoke movement and an inoperative push-to-talk switch shortly after takeoff.
- The pilot skillfully maintained control using trim, rudder, flaps, and power, landing without injury despite the nose gear collapsing and the aircraft departing the gravel runway.
- The cause of the malfunction was identified as a wiring harness behind the instrument panel becoming entangled in the yoke's control bearings.
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