- Date
- February 2, 1989, 20:50 local (Feb 3, 1989, 02:50 UTC)
- Place
- San Angelo, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8096ZCessna U206
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890202002679A
- Case key
- 22839
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate altitude during continued flight into known adverse weather. The weather conditions and dark night were contributing factors.
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 float plane plt was on a VFR flt at night to nasworthy lake near San Angelo, TX. He continued into deteriorating wx conditions. Subsequently, while cruising below the clouds, the acft impacted terrain at an elev of about 2500' MSL. In a written statement, the plt stated that he was attempting to maintain 3500' MSL & encountered strong downdrafts. However, in earlier conversations with an FAA coordinator, he indicated he was trying to maintain a lower altitude (aprx 200' AGL). Rprtdly, impact occurred as the acft was flying at about 90 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8096Z
- Reported as
- Cessna U206
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U206-0496
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hutton, Eden P.
- Registered owner
- Hutton, Eden Piers Patrick
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- NONE · Red Bluff Lake, TX
- Destination
- NONE · Nasworthy Lake, TX
- Airport
- NONE
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 569 total · 151 in this make and model · 368 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 30° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SJT, 39 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.