Cessna TU206G accident near Lafayette, Louisiana, November 17, 1999
On November 17, 1999 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna TU206G, registered N4803U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lafayette, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial blockage of oil within the engine's oil galley resulting in a total power loss. Contributing factors were the failure of the #1 connecting rod, the failure of the pilot to achieve the proper touchdown point during the forced landing, the tailwind and the fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1999 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206G · all TU206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4803U · no longer on the register · serial U20605109
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an aerial photography flight, at 3,500 feet msl, the pilot noticed the 'engine noise get quieter,' and the engine lost approximately 5-6 inches of manifold pressure. The photographer/crewmember noticed that the oil pressure gauge was indicating zero. The pilot initially planned on making a precautionary landing at an airport; however, the engine experienced a total loss of power, so the pilot set up for a forced landing in a field. The pilot reported that he misjudged the approach and was too high and too fast. The pilot added that he landed with a tailwind and overshot his intended field, and the airplane went through a barbed wire fence. During a post-accident examination of the engine, it was found that the #1 connecting rod failed near the connecting rod cap. The #1 crankpin had the connecting rod cap bearing melted into the surface, and the surface appeared very dry and discolored. Inspection of all the rod cap bearings revealed that they were reddish brown in color, indicating that there was a lack of oil supply through the oil galley of the engine. The oil pump was found intact, free to rotate, and the gears were coated with oil.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,985 hours in all; 6,089 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 6,734 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,860 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1999; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-HCM (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTR Baton Rouge LA at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4803U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.