Cessna U206 accident near Leesburg, Virginia, August 16, 1985
On August 16, 1985 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Cessna U206, registered N7144Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 16, 1985 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206 · all U206s on the register
- Registration
- N7144Q · registry record · serial U20603075
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A ROUND-ROBIN X-COUNTRY FLT FROM LEESBURG TO MANASSAS, VA, GAITHERSBURG, MD & RETURN TO LEESBURG. WHEN THE PLT DEPARTED GAITHERSBURG ON THE FINAL LEG OF THE FLT, HE ESTIMATED HE HAD 11 GAL OF FUEL. HE REPORTED THAT DURING ARRIVAL AT LEESBURG, THE ENG LOST POWER AS THE ACFT WAS TURNING ONTO FINAL APCH FOR RWY 35. AT THAT TIME, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE LEFT FUEL GAGE INDICATED ABOUT 3/8 FULL, SO HE MOVED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THAT POSITION. REPORTEDLY, THE RIGHT FUEL GAGE INDICATED AT OR NEAR EMPTY. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO START THE ENG. SUBSEQUENTLY, DURING AN EMERG LANDING, THE ACFT HIT A FENCE & NOSED OVER. NO USABLE FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE ACFT DURING A POST-CRASH EXAM.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 91 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 1985; 179 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F-9 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Destination: W09
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.