Cessna U206E N9428G

Summary

On 14 January 2009 at about 18:15 local time, a Cessna U206E registered N9428G, operated by Rugby Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Crane Island, San Juan Is., Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 January 2009 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Crane Island, San Juan Is., Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Crane Island, San Juan Island (None)

Coordinates

48.5964, -122.9956

Aircraft

Cessna U206E

Registration

N9428G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Rugby Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Friday Harbor → Crane Island

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09CA084

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper application of brakes.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator's Director of Operations reported that the flight was dispatched from their home base to pickup a waiting passenger for a flight under their 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 operating certificate. Upon arriving over the airstrip, the pilot made a traffic pattern approach and observed that the wind was calm. The pilot stated that his airspeed and approach path were approximately normal and that he was familiar with the airstrip, having landed there in a southerly direction on previous days. The airplane touched down near the beginning of the short, 1,350-foot-long grass runway. The pilot further reported that he used light to firm brake pressure and that the airplane began sliding. He stated that the south portion of the runway (near its departure end) was soggy. He attempted a rapid left turn to avoid encountering the drop-off adjacent to the runway's end. As the airplane turned left, the right wing dipped down, impacted the ground, and broke. The Cessna Aircraft Company's "Landing Distance Table" in the U206 operating handbook provides guidelines for ascertaining the approximate landing distance needed under various conditions. The performance data in the handbook indicated that on a dry grass runway, a distance of at least 897 feet is needed to stop the airplane. The table data does not provide distance information for a "soggy" wet grass runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.