Cessna TU206F accident near Vernal, Utah, July 15, 2005
On July 15, 2005 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna TU206F, registered N1059V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vernal, Utah (Flat Rock Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during takeoff. Factors contributing to the accident were the soft dirt airstrip, the low airspeed and the stall/mush.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2005 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Vernal, Utah · Flat Rock Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206F · all TU206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1059V · no longer on the register · serial U20602429
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he checked the temperature and winds then took off to the south from the dirt airstrip. At rotation, approximately 3 to 4 feet off the ground, the pilot said the airplane encountered a windshear. The pilot said he lost control of the airplane, dropped to the ground to the right of the runway, hit the sagebrush, and nosed over. The passengers on board, who were employees of a drilling company, stated that the wind conditions were "calm" and they "felt no turbulence or shear during this departure." One passenger said that the airplane accelerated in a "zig zag" manner and then lifted off, and that it was smooth once airborne. The passenger said they climbed "20 to 40 feet high, then the airplane abruptly pitched nose down sinking until catching the sage brush ..." Another passenger said the airplane started on the left side of the runway in soft dirt and accelerated along the left side. He said the airplane "lifted off at a slow speed, climbed 30 to 40 feet high, then sunk back to the surface ..." The airstrip had been recently graded. The center of the runway was hard. The sides were soft. According to the drilling company, they had chartered the airplane to fly the drilling crew from the airstrip back to their home in Vernal, Utah. The FAA reported the pilot was not certified to fly under Title 14 CFR Part 135, on-demand air taxi. The winds conditions reported at stations surrounding the airstrip within a radius of 57 miles ranged from calm, to out of the west at 4 knots, to out of the east-southeast at 11 knots. The average temperature in the area was approximately 75 degrees. The estimated density altitude for the area was 9,856 feet. An examination of the airplane showed no pre-impact anomalies.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,339 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005; 24.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Flat Rock UT at 7:45 pm
- Destination: VEL Vernal UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 150, 10,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from VEL, 54 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.