- Date
- September 5, 1997, 08:27 local (15:27 UTC)
- Place
- Yucca Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor, 2 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8487QCessna TU206F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970905025669A
- Case key
- 29894
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 driver's failure to see the posted sign and yield to the landing aircraft.
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 airport has an access road that crosses the active runway. The aircraft had landed and was on rollout when the pilot saw a truck approaching. He turned in an attempt to avoid the truck but was unable to prevent the collision. After impact, the truck rolled onto its side and the aircraft nosed over onto its back. At the intersection of the road and runway, a sign is posted that warns of landing aircraft. The driver did not see the sign or the landing aircraft.
Factual narrative
On September 5, 1997, at 0827 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna TU206F, N8487Q, collided with a pickup truck while landing at Valley Vista Airport near Yucca Valley, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the flight instructor rated pilot received minor injuries. Another flight instructor and another pilot rated passenger were not injured. A passenger in the truck received serious injuries, while the driver's injuries were minor. The aircraft was being operated as an instructional flight by Mission Aviation Fellowship when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Redlands, California, at 0725. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed.
Valley Vista Airport has an access road that crosses runway 09-27. The aircraft landed on runway 09 and was on rollout when the pilot saw a truck approaching the runway from his left. He turned right in an attempt to avoid the truck but was unable to prevent the collision. After impact, the truck rolled onto its left side and the aircraft nosed over onto its back.
At the intersection of the road and runway, a sign is posted that reads: "Caution Airport Runway Look Look Landing + Departing Aircraft." According to FAA inspectors, the driver did not see the sign or the landing aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8487Q
- Reported as
- Cessna TU206F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20603345
- Airframe hours
- 3,941
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520M, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Denny Hokstra
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 17, 1997 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- L12 · Redlands, CA
- Destination
- 6CA5
- Airport
- 6CA5 · Valley Vista, runway 9, 2,800 × 40 ft, dirt
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 544 total · 37 in this make and model · 286 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TNP, 36 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.