Cessna T206H accident near Sedona, Arizona, April 19, 2002
On April 19, 2002 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Cessna T206H, registered N377ME, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sedona, Arizona (Sedona airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the variable, gusty and crosswind conditions, which led to a bounced landing and a subsequent pilot induced porpoise oscillation. A factor in the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the landing in a crosswind component that exceeded the maximum factory demonstrated capability of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 2002 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · Sedona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206H · all T206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N377ME · registry record · serial T20608226
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial fuselage structural damage after porpoising following a bounced landing on runway 21. The official automated surface observation system (ASOS) observation at the time of the accident included winds from 170 degrees at 19 knots with higher gusts to 26 knots, yeilding a crosswind component that varied from 12 to 19 knots. The pilot reported that the flight was smooth until about 15 minutes from landing at Sedona when turbulence was encountered. Nearing the airport, he obtained the surface weather from the ASOS recording and noted that the winds were given as from 170 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 21 variable to 190 degrees at 12 knots with higher gusts to 23. The pilot selected runway 21 and said that during the approach, "a change in airspeed of 15 knots was observable." He noted that he reduced power after touchdown and a gust of wind "lifted the aircraft off the runway and I started porpoising and hit the tail on the runway." The accident sequence was witnessed by the owner of a fixed-base operator (FBO) on the airport. He reported that the pilot was trying to land on runway 21 with a strong quartering headwind that had a significant gust component. He saw the airplane bounce off the main gear and begin a series of porpoise like pilot induced oscillations where the airplane bounced from the nose wheel to the main gear and back again, with an increasing amplitude. On the fourth porpoise, the airplane's tail struck the runway. According to the limitations section of the Cessna T206H Pilot Operating Handbook, the airplane's maximum demonstrated crosswind capability is 15 knots. Engineering personnel from Cessna reported that the 15-knot crosswind capability is not a limitation, it is only the maximum crosswind component that the aircraft was landed in during certification flight testing. The pilot's private certificate was issued on February 27, 2002. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to the accident.
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: 361 hours in all; 206 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 289 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 27, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 463 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 28, 2002; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: SEZ Sedona AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,132 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 19 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from SEZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.