Cessna T206H accident near Walcott, Wyoming, February 6, 2004
On February 6, 2004 at about 6:18 pm local time, a Cessna T206H, registered N51192, was destroyed in an accident near Walcott, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not following proper IFR procedures for tracking a VOR radial while on an IFR flight plan in IMC conditions, and not maintaining clearance with terrain during cruise flight. Contributing factors were the mountain, and the cloudy weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 2004 · about 6:18 pm local time
- Place
- Walcott, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206H · all T206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N51192 · no longer on the register · serial T20608332
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 339 hour private instrument rated pilot departed on a VFR clearance, but changed to an IFR clearance as weather deteriorated. Approximately 14 minutes before the accident, he reported his position incorrectly to ATC (he reported that he was on the 320 degree radial when he was on the 140 degree radial). In the same time frame, he once reported his altitude as 5,500 feet when radar showed him at 9,500 feet, and once that he was at 10 nm from the VOR when ATC said that he was at 1 nm. Radar data also indicates that the pilot made his turn to the outbound radial 3 nm before he got to the VOR (contrary to IFR published procedures). The surviving passenger in the front right seat said that the weather was becoming cloudy (IMC) with intermittent visible contact with the ground. The pilot's flight logbook indicated that he had 6.6 hours of actual instrument flying. His records indicate that he had had an instrument proficiency flight on December 1, 2003, but the airplane he flew that in was equipped with CDI (course deviation indicator) VOR navigation avionics not like the HSI (horizontal situation indicator) VOR navigation avionics equipment in the accident airplane. It could not be determined how much experience/training the pilot had with HSI VOR navigation avionics. The front right seat surviving passenger said that just before impact with the mountain, the pilot was "busy with the airplane's avionics." The airplane impacted the mountain 9.2 nm south of the pilot's designated Victor-6 airway.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 339 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 267 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 15, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 421 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 6, 2004; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,617 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 AJ1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mcair Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: JAC Jackson Hole WY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,700 ft; a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 5:14 pm from RWL, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.