SEA06TA152

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna TU206G · Lowman, ID · July 28, 2006

Accident · No injuriesFinal report
Date
July 28, 2006, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
Place
Lowman, ID
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N5421XCessna TU206G
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report January 31, 2007
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20060728025429A
Case key
64293

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's loss of aircraft control due to a downdraft on short final followed by an uncontrolled descent to a hard landing.

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.

Loss of control - in flightLanding - flare/touchdown
Weather condition - downdraftCause
Descent - uncontrolledPilot in commandCause
Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Terrain condition - ground
Aircraft control - not possiblePilot in commandCause

Analysis

The pilot was landing on a mountain dirt airstrip which did not have a wind sock on the approach end of the runway. The approach end of the runway terminated in a lake, and the runway proceeded uphill with a 6 percent grade. The pilot said that there was always a "sinker" where the runway meets the water. As the airplane went from over water to over the end of the runway, the pilot said the airplane was "really slammed down", and even with full takeoff power the airplane hit the ground hard. He said the airplane bounced about 20 yards to the right where the right wheel went into a ditch about 2 feet deep. He applied full left aileron, full left rudder, and full left brake. The wheel came out of the ditch, but the empennage "whacked" the ditch berm fairly hard. A Form 337 (major repair) was issued and the following parts were replaced: two skin pieces; two stringers; two frame bulkheads; one access door; and one tailcone assembly doubler.

Factual narrative

On July 28, 2006, at approximately 1230 mountain daylight time, a Cessna TU206G, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Deadwood Reservoir Airstrip (ID86), near Lowman, Idaho. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was being operated under contract to the USDA Forest Service by Pioneer Aviation, Inc., Boise, Idaho, as a public use flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that had originated from Boise, Idaho, at approximately 0900. U.S. Forest Service personnel stated that the purpose of the flight was for an aerial survey for forest pest detection.

The pilot said that the wind sock at the top of the hill, at the east end of the runway, was not moving, and there was no wind sock at the approach end of the runway. He said the approach was made over the lake and "there is always a sinker" where the runway meets the water. This approach is to runway 06, which has an uphill 6 percent grade. As the airplane went from over water to over the end of the runway, the pilot said the airplane was "really slammed down," and even with full takeoff power the airplane hit the ground hard. The pilot said the airplane bounced about 20 yards to the right where the right wheel went into a ditch about 2 feet deep. He applied full left aileron, full left rudder, and full left brake. The wheel came out of the ditch, but the empennage "whacked" the ditch berm fairly hard.

Postaccident examination of photographs and parts replacement list by a Federal Aviation Inspector resulted in a Form 337 (major repair) being requested for the required repair. This form documented the replacement of the following parts: two skin pieces; two stringers; two frame bulkheads; one access door; and one tailcone assembly doubler.

Aircraft

Registration
N5421X
Reported as
Cessna TU206G
Category
Airplane
Serial number
U20605737
Airframe hours
7,511
Engine
Continental TSIO-520-M, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial observation · Public use
Registered owner
Pioneer Aviation, Inc.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · July 1, 2006 · 10 hours before
Departed
BOI · Boise, ID
Destination
ID86 · Lowman, ID
Flight plan
Company VFR
Airport
ID86 · Deadwood Dam Airstrip, runway 06, 1,800 × 50 ft, grass/turf

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
62
Injuries
None
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
June 1, 2006
Seat
Left
Flight hours
4,200 total · 2,800 in this make and model · 4,100 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
270° at 7 knots, gusting 16
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
84 °F, dew point 30 °F
Altimeter
30.13 inHg
Observed at
SNT, 32 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.