Cessna U206 N932DB

Summary

On 18 June 2025 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna U206 registered N932DB was involved in an accident near Falun, Wisconsin, 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

18 June 2025 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Falun, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

45.7772, -92.4828

Aircraft

Cessna U206

Registration

N932DB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Richmond → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA211

Nobody was injured.

The pilot experiencing the featureless terrain illusion during the approach which gave the perception that the airplane was at a higher altitude over the glassy water surface than it was, resulting in the airplane impacting the water.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed in the float-equipped airplane to perform three water and three land landings for currency purposes. During the approach to the glassy surface of the rural freshwater lake, the floats impacted the lake. The pilot reported that a “hard impact” occurred, and the float attachment struts were damaged. During the impact, the pilot believed the airplane was between 20 to 25 ft above the glassy surface of the lake. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot was able to egress from the cockpit onto a float. The pilot was then picked up by an individual in a nearby boat. Shortly after, the airplane partially sank, and it came to rest inverted in the lake. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that the accident could have been prevented by remembering that it is “almost impossible to judge height above glassy water.” The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) discusses various illusions leading to landing errors. The FAA AIM defines the featureless terrain illusion as, “an absence of ground features, as when landing over water, darkened areas, and terrain made featureless by snow, can create the illusion that the aircraft is at a higher altitude than it actually is.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.