# NTSB DEN05LA110: Cessna TU206F, N1059V, Vernal, UT, July 15, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 14, 2005, 19:45 local (Jul 15, 2005, 01:45 UTC) - Place: Vernal, UT - Coordinates: 39.572223, -109.721946 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5722&lon=-109.7219&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 5 minor - Status: Completed, report October 27, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61977 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN05LA110 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61977/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05LA110 ## Probable cause 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. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall/mush - inadvertent, pilot in command - airspeed - low (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - soft (contributing factor) - weather condition - high density altitude - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - high vegetation ## Analysis 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. ## Factual narrative On July 14, 2005, at 1945 mountain daylight time, a Cessna TU206F, N1059V, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain and nosed over during takeoff from a dirt airstrip, approximately 54 miles south of Vernal, Utah, in the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. Visual Meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The contracted passenger-carrying flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 135, without a flight plan. The commercial pilot and four passengers on board sustained minor injuries. The cross-country flight from the airstrip to Vernal was originating at the time of the accident. The airplane's owner said they were taking off to the south from the Flat Rock Airstrip. The owner said that the airplane got off the ground and encountered windshear. The wind blew him sideways. He went off the side of the runway. His wheels got caught in the sagebrush which flipped him over. The pilot said he landed at the dirt strip to the north. He checked the temperature and winds then took off to the south. At approximately 3 to 4 feet off the ground, the pilot said the airplane encountered a windshear. He said it occurred just after rotation. 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 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 ..." At 1953, the Routine Airport Weather Observation (METAR) at Vernal, Utah, 351 degrees at 54 miles from the accident site was clear skies, visibility 10 statute miles, winds 270 degrees at 4 knots temperature 70 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 48 degrees F, and altimeter 30.15 inches. At 1953, Moab, Utah, METAR, 170 degrees at 49 miles from the accident site reported clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, winds 140 degrees at 3 knots, temperature 81 degrees F, dew point 35 degrees F, and altimeter 30.07 inches. At 1953, Price, Utah, METAR, 250 degrees at 50 miles from the accident site reported clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, winds calm, temperature 72 degrees F, dew point 41 degrees F, and altimeter 30.19 inches. At 1953, Grand Junction, Colorado METAR,085 degrees at 57 miles from the accident site reported clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, winds 110 degrees at 11 knots, temperature 77 degrees F, dew point, 39 degrees F, and altimeter 30.13 inches. The estimated density altitude for the area was 9,856 feet. The airplane was examined at the scene. The airplane rested inverted approximately 25 feet west of the airstrip. The right wing tip was crushed aft. The left outboard wing was bent downward approximately 85 degrees at mid-span. The aft fuselage was bent and buckled downward approximately 30 inches forward of the empennage. The vertical stabilizer leading edge was crushed aft starting at mid-span and moving upward toward the top. The nose gear was broken aft. The propeller blades showed torsional bending and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the airplane's engine, engine controls and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. According to the FAA, the passengers were employees for a drilling company. The company does hard rock drilling in the area around the airstrip. They had been in and out of that airstrip 30 to 40 times. The FAA reported that the company uses other airstrips in the area too. The FAA reported that the airstrip had been recently graded. The center of the runway was hard. The sides were soft. According to the drilling company, the company had chartered the airplane to take the drilling crew from Vernal to the Flat Rock Airstrip and back. FAA reported the pilot was not certified to fly under Title 14 CFR Part 135, on-demand air taxi. The pilot had completed a flight review on September 13, 2003. The pilot had not completed a Part 135 checkride prior to conducting the flight. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1059V](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1059V-2008-01-30), registration cancelled 2008-01-30, S/N U20602429, built 1974 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna TU206F - Registry model: [Cessna TU206F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-tu206f) (registry code 2073353) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (registry code 17040, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: U20602429 - Airframe hours: 8339 - Engines: Continental TSIO-520 285 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Dinaland Aviation, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 1, 2005, 24.8 hours before - Departed: Flat Rock, UT - Destination: VEL, Vernal, UT - Airport: Flat Rock Airstrip, runway 150, 10,000 × 40 ft, dirt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 69; injuries: minor; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review September 1, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 5,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 5,000 as pilot in command, 30 in the last 90 days, 10 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 48 °F - Altimeter: 30.14 inHg - Observed at: VEL, 54 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050714013969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050714013969A), Jul 14, 2005: Cessna TU206F, Vernal, UT, Substantial damage. (-23) While departing on a southerly heading from oil field dirt strip (flat rock strip), the aircraft struck sage brush on the aircraft right side causing it… 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. --- 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.