# Accident 20100723040699A: Cessna 206, Ludington, MI, July 23, 2010 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 23, 2010, 10:17 local time - Place: Ludington, MI - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 44.0017° N, 86.6636° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.0017&lon=-86.6636&mi=10 - Aircraft: N82531, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N82531-2010-10-26) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 206 (registry code 2073302, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-206) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 206 - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO-520-F - People aboard: 5 - Fatal injuries: 4 - Other injuries: 1 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 2,660 total, 1,200 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN10FA465](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10FA465) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100723040699A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. CESSNA 206, N82531 DEPARTED GRATIOT CO. AIRPORT, MICHIGAN, (AMN) AT 08:50 EDT ON 07/23/2010 WITH THE PILOT AND FOUR PASSENGERS FOR ROCHESTER, MN (KRST) . THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEVERLY DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS DITCHED IN LAKE MICHIGAN AND SANK ABOUT 5 MILES WEST OF LUDINGTON MI. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO TRANSPORT ONE OF THE PASSENGERS TO THE MAYO CLINIC. THE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A CHARITY ORGANIZATION.THE PATIENT AND HIS WIFE WERE SEATED IN THE AFT SEATS, SEATS 5 AND 6. THEPATIENT'S DOCTOR WAS SITTING IN THE MIDDLE ROW IN SEAT 3 ON THE LEFT AND SEAT 4 HAD BEEN REMOVED. THE PILOT WAS IN THE LEFT FRONT SEAT AND THE PILOT RATED PASSENGER WAS IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE FUEL TANKS WERE FILLED TO CAPACITY THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FLIGHT. THE PILOT STATED HE LEANED THE MIXTURE UPON LEVELING OFF AT 10,000 FT, TO 14 GAL/HR AND ALL INSTRUMENT READINGS WERE NORMAL AS HE CROSSED THE SHORELINE AT LUDINGTON. AT 10:17 EDT, OVER THE CENTER OF LAKE MICHIGAN, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGHLY. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE NOTICED THAT THE FUEL FLOW WAS DOWN TO 8 TO 10 GAL/HR AND HE TRIED TO RICHEN THE MIXTURE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE TURNED BACK TO THE MICHIGAN SHORELINE DUE TO 40 KNOT WINDS FROM THE WEST. HE REPORTED TO MINNEAPOLIS AIR TRAFFIC COTROL CENTER THAT HE HAD LOST POWER AND MOVED THE MIXTURE TO FULL RICH. THE PILOT SWITCHED FUEL TANKS AND TRIED THE HIGH BOOST PUMP. HE STATED THAT THE BOOST PUMP GAVE HIM A SHORT BURST OF POWER FOR A FEW SECONDS BUT THEN THE ENGINE FAILED COMPLETELY. THE AIRCRAFT DECENDED THROUGH A CLOUD LAYER AND IMPACTED THE WATER 4 MILES FROM SHORE AT APPROXIMATLY 10:17 EDT AND QUICKLY SANK. THE PILOT WAS FOUND ALIVE BY A PLEASURE BOAT 38 MIN LATER. HE STATED THAT THE COAST GUARD HELICOPTER FLEW DIRECTLY OVER HIM BUT DID NOT SEE HIM. ALL FOUR PASSENGERS PERISHED. THE WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED IN 173 FEET OF WATER ON 7/30/2010 BY MICHIGAN STATE POLICE DIVERS. THE DIVE TEAM RECOVERED ALL OF THE BODIES BY 8/1/2010. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CEN10FA465](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10FA465), Jul 23, 2010: Cessna U206F (N82531), Ludington, MI, substantial damage, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of accumulated debris in the fuel system from an undetermined source. Also causal was the inadequate annual maintenance inspection… ## Other reports on N82531 (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19871114082449I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19871114082449I), Nov 14, 1987: Cessna 206CESSNA (N82531), Mt Arlington, NJ. Engine quit en route due to fuel starvation. Landed on a highway. Found a clogged fuel vent. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.