Cessna 206H N3535M

Summary

On 18 April 2015 at about 15:38 local time, a Cessna 206H registered N3535M, operated by McClelland Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Redding, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 April 2015 at 15:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Redding, California, United States

Coordinates

40.5053, -122.2894

Aircraft

Cessna 206H

Registration

N3535M

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

McClelland Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Redding → Redding

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA150

1 person died.

The pilot's intentional descent into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness reported that he saw the airplane climb and then abruptly descend straight down and that it sounded as if the engine was at full power. Radar data indicated that the airplane departed the airport climbing to the east. While still climbing, the airplane made an approximate 360-degree turn. When the airplane reached about 5,500 ft, it descended in a straight line until it impacted the ground. While law enforcement officers were on scene, they received notification of a welfare check on the pilot because he had sent suicidal text messages to friends and family members earlier that morning. The autopsy report determined that the pilot's cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and blunt force trauma with the manner of death being suicide.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.