Cessna T206H accident near Gunnison, Colorado, July 11, 2007
On July 11, 2007 at about 4:34 pm local time, a Cessna T206H, registered N97PP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gunnison, Colorado (Gunnison-Crested Butte Regiona airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent stall during takeoff/initial climb. Contributing factors in this accident were a partial loss of engine power for reasons undetermined, and high density altitude conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2007 · about 4:34 pm local time
- Place
- Gunnison, Colorado · Gunnison-Crested Butte Regiona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206H · all T206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N97PP · registry record · serial T20608517
- 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 rotated between 65 and 70 KIAS, flew in ground effect, and then climbed to about 50 to 75 feet. There was a "significant reduction in power" and the airplane "started gyrating wildly." The "right wing stalled and struck the runway along with the right main wheel." The airplane bounced, collapsing the nose wheel, and skidded to a halt on the side of the runway. The right wing was bent up about four feet inboard on the tip. Of the six witness statements received, one reported hearing an "unusual noise." Another witness heard the engine "misfire." The engine was examined. No anomalies were noted. The lineman who had been on duty on the morning of the accident reported witnessing the entire accident sequence. He stated that full power was developed as the airplane accelerated down the runway. At the 1,000-foot marker, the airplane lifted off and assumed "a very steep angle of attitude" (approximately 15 degrees or greater), and climbed to about 15 to 25 feet above the ground. The engine began surging (it was "not rhythmic and did not stop"). The pilot leveled off and began a stabilized descent, as if he were making a forced landing, and then leveled off again. The airplane suddenly dipped to the left and pulled up to a "high angle of attitude." The airplane stalled and broke to the right and nosed into the ground.
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: 850 hours in all; 126 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2007; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,617 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TIO-540-AJ1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GUC Gunnison CO at 4:34 pm
- Destination: SAA Saratoga WY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 06, 9,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from GUC
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN07LA119.