Cessna U206G N4596U accident near Chinita Bay, Alaska

Probable cause

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi, resulting in a tail strike and aft fuselage substantial damage.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, after landing he taxied the tri-cycle landing gear-equipped airplane on a rocky, soft sand beach and the nose wheel bounced off of a sand berm. He reported that when the nose wheel bounced, the tail section contacted the ground. He recalled that he parked the airplane, inspected the empennage and determined the damage to be minor, and departed on a subsequent flight. However, a subsequent inspection of the empennage by the company's mechanic revealed that the aft fuselage bulkhead had sustained substantial damage.

The pilot reported that prior to the taxi there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane or any of its systems that would have prevented normal flight operations.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA272 for the full record.