Cessna P206B accident near Willits, California, September 9, 2001
On September 9, 2001 at about 9:04 pm local time, a Cessna P206B, registered N146A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willits, California (Willits Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the pilot to reset the elevator trim tab during the go-around, which resulted in his failure to maintain airspeed and an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2001 · about 9:04 pm local time
- Place
- Willits, California · Willits Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206B · all P206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N146A · registry record · serial P206-0329
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted trees and terrain following a loss of control during a go-around. The private pilot was landing the airplane to the north with a crosswind from the right. The airplane bounced on landing and drifted to the right side of the runway. The pilot applied power and pitched the airplane in a nose high pitch attitude. The airplane's right wing then dropped to a 90-degree angle and the airplane impacted trees to the east of the runway. The flaps were found set to 22 degrees and the elevator pitch trim tab was set at 5 degrees tab down (nose up), which is near the nose up limit stop. No anomalies were noted with the airplane that would have affected normal flight. The pilot accumulated a total of 312 flight hours, of which 100 hours were accumulated in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
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: 312 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 203 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 19, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,095.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 23, 2001; 44.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA at 8:05 pm
- Destination: 028 Willits CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from UKI, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.