Cessna TU206A accident near Nogales, Arizona, October 2, 2004
On October 2, 2004 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna TU206A, registered N4835F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nogales, Arizona (Nogales International airport). It was a personal 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
the pilot's failure to remain on the designated taxiway surface, which resulted in the airplane's collision with the ditch. The dark lighting condition was a factor to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2004 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Nogales, Arizona · Nogales International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206A · all TU206As on the register
- Registration
- N4835F · registry record · serial U206-0535
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with a ditch during taxi and sustained substantial damage. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. While taxiing to the terminal, the pilot taxied into a non-movement area of the airport, and did not see a 4-foot-deep ditch located in front of the terminal. The airplane impacted the ditch and the right wing collided with the ground, resulting in damage to a stringer. The ditch was approximately 45 feet from the taxiway.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,989 hours in all; 1,208 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Destination: OLS Nogales AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- 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.
Other NTSB records under N4835F 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.