Cessna U206B accident near Billings, Montana, November 7, 1989
On November 7, 1989 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna U206B, registered N3481L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Billings, Montana (Billings airport). It was a business 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
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT WHILE TAXIING DURING UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1989 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Billings, Montana · Billings · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206B · all U206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3481L · no longer on the register · serial U206-0781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT HAD COMPLETED A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE PILOT SAID DURING A TAXIING TURN INTO THE TIEDOWN SPOT, THE ACFT OVERTURNED. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 280 DEG AT 29 GUSTING 38 KTS.
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: 1,427 hours in all; 1,180 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 1,427 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-540-F9 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Heath MT at 7:50 pm
- Destination: BIL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 29 knots, gusting 38
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.