Cessna P206 N2520X
22 May 1987 · Tehachapi, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 22 May 1987 at about 17:58 local time, a Cessna P206 registered N2520X, operated by Pacific Aerographics, was involved in an accident near Tehachapi, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 17:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tehachapi, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.1194, -118.5106
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206
- Registration
- N2520X
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Pacific Aerographics
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Ana → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX87FA213
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AN USAF T-38 AIRCRAFT AND A CESSNA 206 AIRCRAFT COLLIDED IN MID-AIR DURING VISUAL FLIGHT OPERATIONS IN A MILITARY OPERATIONS AREA. RADAR DATA REVEALED THAT THE OVERTAKING T-38 COLLIDED WITH THE CESSNA 206 FROM THE RIGHT. THE CESSNA WAS ON A LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT TERRAIN PHOTO MISSION AND HAD ALMOST COMPLETED A LEFT 360 DEGREE TURN. THE T-38 WAS TRANSITING THE MOA IN CONNECTION WITH A MILITARY MISSION. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE OPERATING UNDER VFR AND WERE NOT IN CONTACTWITH THE MOA CONTROLLERS. NEITHER PILOT WAS REQUIRED TO ESTABLISH OR MAINTAIN POSITIVE RADIO OR RADAR CONTACT WITH THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FACILITY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE AREA. HOWEVER, THE AIRMAN'S INFORMATION MANUAL STATES 'PILOTS OPERATINGUNDER VFR SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE FLYING WITHIN A MOA... PRIOR TO ENTERING AN ACTIVE MOA, PILOTS SHOULD CONTACT THE CONTROLLING AGENCY FOR TRAFFIC ADVISORIES.' RADAR AND RADIO ASSISTANCE WAS AVAILABLE TO EITHER PILOT. THE T-38 WAS USING A TRANSPONDER WITH MODE C READOUT. THE COLLISION OCCURRED AT ABOUT 8,700 FEET MSL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna P206 P206 | N2520X | Pacific Aerographics | Destroyed |
| Northrop T-38A T-38A | USAF | Usaf | Destroyed |
Other Cessna P206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1987 | Cessna P206 S/N P206-0009 | St. Johns, Canada | Anton Boshoff | Fatal | 6 |
| 2 Sep 1986 | Cessna P206-B | Wht Sulphur Spr, West Virginia, United States | Greenbrier Airlines Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Aug 1989 | Cessna P206 | Punta Abriejos, Mexico | Poptsis, George | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 1989 | Cessna P206 | Thelma, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 1984 | Cessna P206 | Redding, California, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 9 May 1990 | Cessna P206 | Liberty, North Carolina, United States | John C. Thomas | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 1987 | Durbin MONNETT MONI | Ramona, California, United States | Lipner, Robert M. | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 1987 | Bede BD-5 | Chula Vista, California, United States | Teufel, Armin U. | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Oct 1987 | Stits ELKINS 85 | Camarillo, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Nov 1987 | Isgrigg ELITE | Tehachapi, California, United States | Isgrigg, John | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1987 | Rolladen-Schneider LS-3 | Santa Ynez, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 1987 | Cessna 152 | San Dimas, California, United States | King Aviation | Minor injuries | - |