- Date
- June 1, 2004, 20:40 local (Jun 2, 2004, 01:40 UTC)
- Place
- Owatonna, MN
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N81685Cessna U206F
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Cessna Aircraft Company, Teledyne Continental Motors, Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040601011619A
- Case key
- 59453
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The altitude/clearance not maintained by the pilot-in-command during a precision instrument approach. A contributing factor was the instrument meteorological conditions.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain and a house during a precision approach. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane systems did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Pilot logbook records indicated that the pilot did not have a current flight review.
Factual narrative
History of flight
On June 1, 2004, about 2040 central daylight time, a Cessna U206F, N81685, owned and piloted by a private pilot, impacted a house and terrain during a precision approach to Owatonna Degner Regional Airport (OWA), Owatonna, Minnesota. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The pilot, pilot-rated passenger, and two passengers were fatally injured; there were no ground injuries. The flight departed from Roseau Municipal/Rudy Billberg Field Airport (ROX), Roseau, Minnesota, about 1755, and was en route to OWA.
The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Report of Aircraft Accident reported the following conversations with N81685, Princeton Automated Flight Service Station (PNM AFSS), and Minneapolis Center Sector 05 Radar Controller (ZMP05), Sector 07 (ZMP07), and Sector 25 (ZMP25), Rochester Air Traffic Control Tower (RST), and an Unknown transmission.
At 1719, a person representing N81685 called PNM AFSS by telephone and requested an update on ceilings from ROX to OWA for a flight departing in about 15 minutes.
At 1735, a person representing N81685 called PNM AFSS by telephone and filed an IFR flight plan for a flight from ROX to OWA departing at 1755.
At 1750, N81685 initiated radio contact airborne after departure from ROX. N81685 was issued an IFR clearance to OWA and assigned an altitude of five thousand feet mean sea level (MSL).
At 1756, N81685 reported level at five thousand feet MSL.
At 1828, N81685 reported a position at the Bemidji very high frequency omni-directional range (VOR) 330 degree radial and requested to climb to seven thousand feet MSL. The ZMP25 controller assigned an altitude of seven thousand feet.
At 2005, N81685 contacted Minneapolis Center, reporting an altitude of 'four point zero.' The ZMP09 controller instructed N81685 to proceed direct to Halfway VOR. N81685 reported direct Halfway VOR now.
At 2013:36, ZMP07 transmitted, "november eight one six eight five contact the minneapolis center the Owatonna zero zero five niner metars reports the wind --- three two zero at one zero visibility four miles with drizzle broken layer at nine hundred overcast one thousand three hundred and altimeter two niner six eight."
At 2013:49, N81685 transmitted, "two niner six eight six eight five"
At 2013:52, ZMP07 transmitted, "november six eight five say type of approach"
At 2014:00, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five we'll take the i l s"
At 2014:03, ZMP07 transmitted, "roger"
At 2014:27, ZMP07 transmitted, "november ah *(six) eight one six eight five how do you wanna do it how do you wanna do that do you wanna go direct the airport and then outbound"
At 2014:34, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five why don't you give me radar vectors direct to the airport and then outbound"
At 2014:38, ZMP07 transmitted, " *(all right) November six eight five ah five right and proceed direct when able ah I'm not able to ah vector for the approach"
At 2014:47, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five"
At 2015:14, ZMP07 transmitted, "and november six eight five your discretion to three thousand four hundred"
At 2015:19, N81685 transmitted, "three thousand four hundred at *(pilot) discretion six eight five"
At 2017:58, ZMP07 transmitted, "november eight one six eight five report established on a published portion of the approach"
At 2018:04, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five"
At 2020:54, ZMP07 transmitted, "november eight one six eight five do you have the notams for owatonna"
At 2020:58, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five we have the notams"
At 2021:00, ZMP07 transmitted, "ok"
At 2022:43, ZMP07 transmitted, "november eight one eight six five you established yet"
At 2022:46, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five ah we're outbound ah but we're not ah established as yet"
At 2022:51, ZMP07 transmitted, "ah let me know when you're ah procedure turn comes up and you're established"
At 2023:31, N81685, transmitted, "six eight fives established"
At 2023:33, ZMP07, transmitted, "november eight one six eight five roger cleared for the i l s three zero approach to the owatonna airport"
At 2023:38, N81685 transmitted, "cleared the i l s eight five"
At 2023:41, ZMP07 transmitted, "november eight one six eight five change to advisory frequency approved cancellation down time this frequency if unable this frequency through enroute radio"
At 2023:49, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five"
At 2030:45, N81685 transmitted, "ah minneapolis center six eight five can we have vectors back to the v o r *(in fairbault)"
At 2030:50, ZMP07 transmitted, "all right *(you want) you wanna go back to fairbuilt now"
At 2030:54, N81685 transmitted, "ah we wanna go back to the halfway v o r six eight five"
At 2030:57, ZMP07 transmitted, "all right november six eight five do you want me just to put you on three sixty heading until you join the localizer"
At 2031:02, N81685 transmitted, "six eight five i'd really appreciate it"
At 2031:04, ZMP07 transmitted, "november six eight five roger fly heading of ah - - - fly heading of three four zero three forty on the heading of three four three forty on the heading and join the localizer that should take you there"
At 2031:16, N81685 transmitted," three four zero six eight five"
At 2033:24, ZMP07 transmitted, "november six eight five turn further right heading three five zero to join report established"
At 2033:29, N81685 transmitted, "three five zero six eight five"
At 2035:50, ZMP07 transmitted, "november eight on six eight five does it appear you're gonna be able to get established on that heading"
At 2035:55, N18685 transmitted, "six eight five we're still not established"
At 2035:58, ZMP07, "november six eight five i understand that does it appear you're gonna be able to get established on that heading"
At 2036:03, N81685, "november six eight five i think we are"
At 2036:05, ZMP07 transmitted, "roger let me know when you're established"
At 2037:16, Unknown transmission, "let me take it"
At 2037:53, RST transmitted, "well let's see looks like ah - - - his tag's just dropping off my radar now right around the tonna the ah final approach fix there"
There were no further transmissions recorded from N81685.
Personnel information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine airplane land rating issued on the basis of a Canadian pilot license and later issued an instrument airplane rating. His last airman medical certificate was a second class medical issued on June 24, 2003, with the following limitation: "Holder shall wear corrective lenses."
On February 10, 1989, the pilot was issued an airplane single-engine land rating on the basis of a Canadian pilot license with a private pilot airplane single-engine land rating.
On November 1, 1993, the pilot failed the flight examination portion for an airplane instrument rating using a Cessna 206. The pilot was issued a first Notice of Disapproval of Application and was to be reexamined on the following: "Pilot Operation 1-2-3-5-". At the time of the examination, the pilot reported a total flight time of 681.2 hours, a simulated instrument time of 298.8 hours, and an actual instrument time of 12.6 hours.
Practical test standard for an instrument rating list the following areas of operation: 1. Preflight Preparation, 2. Preflight Procedures, 3. Air Traffic Control Clearances and Procedures, 5. Navigation Systems, 6. Instrument Approach Procedures.
On December 26, 1994, the pilot failed the flight examination portion for an airplane instrument rating using a Cessna 206. The pilot was issued a second Notice of Disapproval of Application and was to be reexamined on the following: "Areas of Operation 4-5-6." At the ti
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81685
- Reported as
- Cessna U206F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20602294
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-F, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gordon A. Welke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2003
- Departed
- ROX · Roseau, MN
- Destination
- OWA · Owattona, MN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- OWA · Owatonna Degner Regional
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2002
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,277 total
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.70 inHg
- Observed at
- OWA
Docket · 24
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 5, 2006, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 18.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.