Cessna TU206F N1059V

Summary

On 15 July 2005 at about 01:45 local time, a Cessna TU206F registered N1059V was involved in an accident near Vernal, Utah, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 July 2005 at 01:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Vernal, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Flat Rock Airstrip

Coordinates

39.5722, -109.7219

Aircraft

Cessna TU206F

Registration

N1059V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flat Rock → Vernal

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN05LA110

5 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during takeoff. Factors contributing to the accident were the soft dirt airstrip, the low airspeed and the stall/mush.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said he checked the temperature and winds then took off to the south from the dirt airstrip. At rotation, approximately 3 to 4 feet off the ground, the pilot said the airplane encountered a windshear. The pilot said he lost control of the airplane, dropped to the ground to the right of the runway, hit the sagebrush, and nosed over. The passengers on board, who were employees of a drilling company, stated that the wind conditions were "calm" and they "felt no turbulence or shear during this departure." One passenger said that the airplane accelerated in a "zig zag" manner and then lifted off, and that it was smooth once airborne. The passenger said they climbed "20 to 40 feet high, then the airplane abruptly pitched nose down sinking until catching the sage brush ..." Another passenger said the airplane started on the left side of the runway in soft dirt and accelerated along the left side. He said the airplane "lifted off at a slow speed, climbed 30 to 40 feet high, then sunk back to the surface ..." The airstrip had been recently graded. The center of the runway was hard. The sides were soft. According to the drilling company, they had chartered the airplane to fly the drilling crew from the airstrip back to their home in Vernal, Utah. The FAA reported the pilot was not certified to fly under Title 14 CFR Part 135, on-demand air taxi. The winds conditions reported at stations surrounding the airstrip within a radius of 57 miles ranged from calm, to out of the west at 4 knots, to out of the east-southeast at 11 knots. The average temperature in the area was approximately 75 degrees. The estimated density altitude for the area was 9,856 feet. An examination of the airplane showed no pre-impact anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.