Cessna TU206 N917WC

Summary

On 11 December 2025 at about 19:40 local time, a Cessna TU206 registered N917WC, operated by Barr Air Patrol LLC, was involved in an accident near Pell City, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

11 December 2025 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Pell City, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

33.5691, -86.3962

Aircraft

Cessna TU206

Registration

N917WC

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Barr Air Patrol LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Birmingham → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA066

1 person had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On December 11, 2025, about 1340 central standard time, a Cessna TU206F, N917WC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pell City, Alabama. The commercial pilot was not injured. The single passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight. The pilot reported that he departed on the aerial observation flight with 107 gallons of fuel onboard for a planned 4-hour flight. About 3 hours and 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot observed fluctuations of the fuel quantity and fuel pressure gauges followed, by a sudden total loss of engine power. After informing air traffic control of the emergency, the pilot made an emergency landing in a field, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the nose landing gear had collapsed and the empennage had partially separated during the forced landing. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.