Cessna P206B accident near Suffolk, Virginia, July 9, 1983
On July 9, 1983 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna P206B, registered N8601Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Suffolk, Virginia (Suffolk airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 1983 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Suffolk, Virginia · Suffolk · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206B · all P206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8601Z · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PARACHUTE OF ONE OF THE JUMPERS DEPLOYED PREMATURELY. THE SHROUD LINES ENTANGLED IN THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER & ELEVATOR. AS THE PARACHUTE INFLATED, THE STABILIZER WAS BENT DOWNWARD, & THE ELEVATOR PARTIALLY RIPPED FROM THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE STABILIZER. THE JUMPER WAS LIBERATED FROM THE ENTANGLEMENT & SAFELY LANDED USING HIS RESERVE CHUTE.THE REMAINING JUMPERS EXITED THE ACFT & THE PLT SAFELY LANDED THE ACFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,075 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,100 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 28, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.