Cessna TP206C accident near Versailles, Kentucky, July 21, 2025
On July 21, 2025 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna TP206C, registered N8670Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Versailles, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s mismanagement of the airplane’s available fuel supply, which resulted in fuel starvation and a subsequent total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2025 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Versailles, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TP206C, built 1968 · all TP206Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8670Z · no longer on the register · serial P206-0470
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a multi-stop cross country flight, and after fueling the airplane, had departed for the next leg of the trip. While in cruise flight at an altitude of 11,500 ft msl, the pilot felt an engine vibration, and despite activating the alternate air, the vibration did not improve. He requested radar vectors from air traffic control to a nearby airport, and while descending through 3,500 ft, the engine lost power completely. The pilot then switched from the right to the left fuel tank, activated the fuel boost pump, and unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engine. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. Following the accident, the pilot realized that the quantity of fuel available in the left tank was less than that tank’s unusable amount. With the right fuel tank selected, the engine was started and run with no anomalies noted. Based on this information, the loss of engine power that occurred during the accident flight was most likely the result of fuel starvation.
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
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,085 hours in all; 1,570 in this make and model; 2,085 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,959 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 2024; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO520C3P (piston); 4,958 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ZEF Elkin NC at 11:45 am
- Destination: RZL Rensselaer IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,200 ft; a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:42 am from KLEX, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLEX 211442Z VRB03KT 10SM FEW013 BKN032 BKN065 26/22 A3004 RMK AO2 T02560222
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 20, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.