Cessna 206H accident near Kalkaska, Michigan, December 6, 2008
On December 6, 2008 at about 8:13 pm local time, a Cessna 206H, registered N6053B, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Kalkaska, Michigan (Cherry Capital Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees and terrain during the instrument-flight-rules flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to comply with instrument flight procedures and his lack of recent instrument flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 2008 · about 8:13 pm local time
- Place
- Kalkaska, Michigan · Cherry Capital Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206H · all 206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N6053B · no longer on the register · serial 20608272
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument-rated pilot departed on a cross-country flight from Minnesota to New York. While en route and in visual flight rules conditions above the clouds, the pilot elected to divert to a nearby airport due to adverse weather conditions. The pilot received an instrument-flight-rules clearance, radar vectors, and instrument approach information from air traffic control (ATC). However, he was unable to complete the approach due to trouble receiving the localizer signal for the instrument landing system (ILS) approach. The pilot requested that he be able to continue with only glideslope information and the controller informed the pilot that his current altitude (2,700 feet mean sea level) was the minimum altitude that ATC could authorize. The pilot informed ATC that he was going to descend and ATC reported that radar contact was lost. Over the next approximately 4 minutes, the controller instructed the pilot several times to climb. The pilot did not comply with these requests and radar data indicated that the airplane circled several times about 1.5 miles east of the airport during this time period. After several requests the pilot agreed to climb and accepted vectors for another approach. Transcripts indicated that the pilot was able to successfully tune his navigation equipment for the global-positioning-system approach to the airport. While the airplane was being vectored for another approach the controller instructed the pilot to climb and the pilot responded "I'm off," which was the last transmission received from the accident airplane. Radar data showed that the airplane remained airborne and maneuvered east of the airport for 36 minutes after the last radio transmission from the pilot. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing the airplane circling before it struck trees, the ground, and a residence. The last radar contact was within 0.1 miles of the accident location. Review of the pilot's flight records showed that he had accumulated about 8 hours of actual instrument flight time since he received an instrument rating about 10 months prior to the accident; however, the records do not indicate that the pilot had met the recent flight experience required by regulations to act as pilot in command in instrument flight conditions. The autopsy on the pilot revealed evidence of multiple previous and one very recent, possibly ongoing, heart attack. There were no indications that the pilot had been symptomatic with or was aware of his heart disease. The circumstances of the accident do not suggest incapacitation, and the pilot did not indicate any symptoms in discussions with air traffic controllers. It could not be determined whether distraction or impairment due to the pilot’s heart disease may have played a role in this accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Operating environment › Air traffic/operating proc › Approach control procedure › Compliance w/ procedure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent instrument experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,802 hours in all; 907 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 14, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 753 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2008
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AC1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGS South St Paul MN at 4:15 pm
- Destination: GFL Glens Falls NY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 16 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 0 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 500 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.60 inHg
- Observation at 8:27 pm from TVC, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N6053B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.