Cessna U206 N5304U

Summary

On 1 July 1989 at about 12:15 local time, a Cessna U206 registered N5304U was involved in an accident near Pettigrew, Arkansas, United States. 6 people were on board and 6 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 July 1989 at 12:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Pettigrew, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

35.8191, -93.5910

Aircraft

Cessna U206

Registration

N5304U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clarksville → Hotsprings

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MKC89FA159

6 people died.

IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, HIS VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, HIGH TERRAIN, THE PILOT'S OVER CONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITY, AND HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT MADE SVRL INQUIRES ABOUT THE WX ALONG HIS ROUTE FM ARKANSAS TO SOUTH DAKOTA. HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. FINALLY, HE RPRTD THE WX AT THE DEPARTURE POINT WAS VFR & HE INDCD HE WOULD CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE EN ROUTE WX. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 25 MI NW OF THE DEPARTURE ARPT. THE ACDNT SITE WAS IN THE VCNTY OF A BOX CANYON IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEV OF 2100 FT. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A STEEP DSCNT. ON 7/11/89, THE ACFT WAS FOUND. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. ABT 40 MI WEST AT FT SMITH (ELEV 469'), THE 0621 CDT WX WAS IN PART: 700' SCATTERED, 4000 OVERCAST. CONVECTIVE SIGMETS 23C & 25C WARNED OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ALONG THE PROPOSED ROUTE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.