- Date
- July 9, 1990, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sheridan, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4784UCessna TU206G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900709024889A
- Case key
- 41245
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
Inadvertent engagement of the autopilot during the flare for 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.
Analysis
At the end of a flight, while approaching the airport, the pilot disconnected the autopilot. The downwind, base and final legs of the pattern were normal, until while on short final, the airplane suddenly nosed up and banked right. The pilot attempted to correct the situation, however, the right main landing gear contacted the runway. The pilot initiated a go-around and landed at an alternate airport without further incident. The pilot felt that the autopilot self engaged itself. Testing of the autopilot did not reveal any mechanical failures or malfunctions to indicate a self engagement. It was found that the location of the autopilot in the airplane was two inches lower than the STC recommended and that the engage button is in close proximity to the flap handle and engine controls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4784U
- Reported as
- Cessna TU206G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20605101
- Airframe hours
- 1,042
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-M, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Schroeder, Susan P.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 23, 1990 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- LWS · Lewiston, ID
- Airport
- 4452 · Sheridan, runway 7, 2,880 × 30 ft, gravel
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,057 total · 369 in this make and model · 948 as pilot in command · 96 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.