# NTSB LAX00LA241: Cessna 206, N511RB, Gerlach, NV, June 23, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 22, 2000, 21:00 local (Jun 23, 2000, 04:00 UTC) - Place: Gerlach, NV - Coordinates: 40.860145, -119.320312 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8601&lon=-119.3203&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report October 2, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 49557 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX00LA241 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/49557/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA241 ## Probable cause The pilot's attempt to takeoff from an unsuitable area and his collision with a dirt berm. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, takeoff - roll/run - terrain condition - open field (cause) - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - berm (cause) ## Analysis The airplane collided with a dirt berm during an attempted takeoff from an open field. The flight had departed Boise, Idaho, at an unknown time and date, and was scheduled to terminate in Santa Monica, California. The reason for the en route stop in the pasture in Nevada was not determined. Repeated attempts to contact the owner/pilot by the FAA and NTSB were unsuccessful. ## Factual narrative On June 22, 2000, at 2100 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 206, N511RB, collided with a dirt berm during an attempted takeoff from a pasture 16 miles north of Gerlach, Nevada. The airplane was operated by the owner/pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and sustained substantial damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed Boise, Idaho, at an unknown date and time, and was scheduled to terminate at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport, Santa Monica, California. The reason for the en route stop in the pasture was undetermined. The accident was reported to the National Transportation Safety Board on June 26, 2000, after verification of damage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. Repeated attempts to reach the owner/pilot for additional information concerning the accident were unsuccessful. According to the FAA inspector, the airplane was repaired and returned to service by Susanville Aviation, at the Susanville Municipal Airport, Susanville, California. The FAA made repeated attempts to reach the owner/pilot for more information about the accident, but were unsuccessful. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot's personal logbooks were unavailable for review by the Safety Board investigator. Review of the FAA Airmen and Medical certification records by the investigator revealed that the pilot received his private pilot certificate on November 10, 1997. On April 11, 2000, he was denied an instrument rating add-on to his private pilot certificate. On April 14, 2000, he was denied a second time. On April 14, 2000, the pilot reported his total flight time as 284 hours. ## Aircraft - Registration: N511RB (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Cessna 206 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2060247 - Engines: Continental IO-520 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Bart H. Levine - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: NV - Destination: SMO, SANTA MONICA, CA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 42; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; flight hours: 284 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 0° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 158 °F, dew point 106 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: WMC, 83 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 20000622012969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000622012969A), Jun 22, 2000: Cessna 206CESSNA, Gerlach, NV, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot landed off-airport on private pasture in remote area 16 miles north of Gerlach, NV. Pilot stated he had landed in the same pasture at least four… 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.