# Accident 20210415006059A: Cessna 140, Williams, AZ, April 15, 2021 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 15, 2021, 19:35 local time - Place: Williams, AZ - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.3128° N, 112.1878° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3128&lon=-112.1878&mi=10 - Aircraft: N2506N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2506N-2026-08-24) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 140 (registry code 2071602, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-140) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental C90 series (registry code 17009, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c90-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 140 - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot - Pilot flight hours: 477 total, 167 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR21LA166](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA166) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210415006059A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021, N2506N DEPARTED THE SEDONA, AZ AIRPORT (SEZ) TO THE GRAND CANYON AIRPORT (GCN). THE AIRCRAFT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT APPROXIMATELY 19:30 MST NEAR THE WILLIAMS, AZ AIRPORT (CMR). THE AIRCRAFT WAS DISCOVERED ON MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2021, AT APPROXIMATELY 01:40 MST BY THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THE FAA ROC AND FSDO WP19 WERE NOTIFIED AT 0300 MST, THE FAA INVESTIGATING INSPECTOR ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 07:30 MST. THE INITIAL SITE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED, THEY WERE IDENTIFIED AS PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE AIRCRAFT HAD A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUEL IN BOTH TANKS. NO POST CRASH FIRE OCCURRED. THE AIRCRAFT EXHIBITED A HIGH ANGLE COLLISION WITH TERRAIN, WHICH WAS LEVEL WITH SPARSE TREES. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS EXAMINED, UP TO THE COCKPIT AREA AND APPEARED NORMAL FOR FUNCTION. THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS COULD NOT BE EXAMINED ON SITE DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. THE PILOT HELD A COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE WITH AN INSTRUMENT RATING IN ASEL. REVIEW OF THE PILOT'S LOG BOOK INDICATED HE WAS NOT NIGHT CURRENT FOR CARRYING PASSENGERS AND HAD LITTLE EXPERIENCE FLYING AT NIGHT. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE END OF CIVIL TWILIGHT. A 44709 REEXAM WAS INITIATED IN THE PRIOR MONTH BY THE SAN DIEGO FSDO FOR A PREVIOUS ACCIDENT. A LETTER INFORMING THE PILOT HAD NOT BEEN SENT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD APPROXIMATELY 2900 HOURS TOTAL TIME WITH THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION BEING COMPLETED ON MARCH 28, 2021, ENGINE 100HR MARCH 7, 2021 AND TRANSPONDER MARCH 19, 2021. THE ELT BATTERY WAS NOTED TO BE GOOD UNTIL 2023. ADSB DATA CAPTURED THE FLIGHT FROM SEZ ON A DIRECT COURSE TO CMR. IT INDICATED A 45 DEGREE ENTRY INTO THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE DOWNWIND LEG, AND BASE LEG FOR RUNWAY 18. DATA ENDED WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON BASE. THE PILOT AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD A SKY DIVING APPOINTMENT AT 0900, FRIDAY APRIL 16, 2021 AT GCN. THE PILOT POSTED MANY VIDEOS OF HIS FLIGHT ON YOUTUBE. TWO GOPRO CAMERAS, A DIGITAL CAMERA, 2 IPHONES, AND TWO IPADS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED. ONE GOPRO CAMERA WAS MOUNTED TO THE STRUT OF THE LEFT WING. THE THE VIDEO DATA FROM THIS CAMERA WAS REVIEWED AND CAPTURED THE FLIGHT FROM SEZ TO CMR AND THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT FROM SEZ TO CMR SEEMED TO BE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE VIDEO SHOWS N2506N LANDING SAFELY ON RUNWAY 18 AT CMR. AFTER TAXI TO THE RAMP AREA AND SHUTTING DOWN, THE PILOT OPENS THE COWLING AND STATES THAT NO OIL IS SPEWING. HE EXPLAINS TO^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT THE TACH CABLE IS ATTACHED, BUT THE INTERNAL MECHANISM OF THE TACH MAY BE BROKEN. HE ALSO STATES THAT TECHNICALLY HE SHOULD NOT BE FLYING THE AIRCRAFT, HOWEVER HE WOULD FEEL SAFER IF THEY CONTINUED TO GCN. THE AIRCRAFT IS SEEN LEAVING CMR RUNWAY 36 AT LATE EVENING CIVIL TWILIGHT. AFTER TAKE OFF IT ENTERS A RIGHT CROSSWIND TURN INTO DARKNESS. WIND REPORTED AT THE TIME WAS 290@4G14. THE AIRCRAFT ENTERS A RIGHT SPIRAL OR SPIN IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE VIDEO IS BLACK AGAINST THE DARK SKY AND THE TERRAIN. A REDUCTION IN POWER IS HEARD PRIOR TO IMPACT. ## 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 WPR21LA166](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA166), Apr 16, 2021: Cessna 140 (N2506N), Williams, AZ, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s loss of control due to spatial disorientation shortly after takeoff in night visual meteorological conditions. 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.