Cessna U206 N8615Z

Summary

On 18 September 2015 at about 12:55 local time, a Cessna U206 registered N8615Z was involved in an accident near Spring Hill, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 September 2015 at 12:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Spring Hill, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl (BKV)

Coordinates

28.4739, -82.5100

Aircraft

Cessna U206

Registration

N8615Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Myers → Brooksville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15FA361

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain a stabilized instrument approach, which resulted in a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot departed in his amphibious, single-engine airplane on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for his home seaplane base. When the pilot arrived near his destination, he cancelled his flight plan with air traffic control (ATC), then circled in the area before requesting another IFR clearance to an airport that was equipped with an instrument approach. ATC cleared the pilot for the approach. A review of radar data indicated that the approach was normal until the airplane passed over the final approach fix; it then went off course and entered a steep descent into a residential neighborhood. Postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and data downloaded from the electronic engine monitor revealed no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation before impact. The pilot's logbook revealed that he had been actively training for his flight instructor certificate for instrument airplane and had recent IFR experience. The pilot's toxicology testing was positive for metabolites of cocaine; however, it could not be determined if he was impaired at the time of the accident. The pilot was also under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for not reporting his past use of illegal drugs and suicidal thoughts. The FAA had conducted two psychological evaluations and a review was in process regarding the status of his medical certificate at the time of the accident. However, the investigation could not determine whether any underlying psychiatric or psychological conditions contributed to the pilot's behavior at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.