Cessna 170B accident near Vacaville, California, June 28, 2006
On June 28, 2006 at about 10:35 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2924D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vacaville, California (Nut Tree airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A contributing factor was pilot fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2006 · about 10:35 am local time
- Place
- Vacaville, California · Nut Tree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2924D · no longer on the register · serial 26867
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane veered off the side of the runway and ground looped. The pilot flew 2.7 hours from Watsonville to Little River for fuel, and then to Ukiah where he and his family ate dinner and spent the night. They departed Ukiah at 0800, and flew to Brookings, Oregon, for fuel. They then flew to North Bend where they refueled and added oil to the airplane, ate lunch, and shopped. At 1400, they departed North Bend, flew up the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge, and landed at Astoria, Oregon, for fuel and coffee. They departed Astoria and flew to Myrtle Creek, arriving there about 2015. The pilot's family exited the airplane, and he performed three full-stop solo landings for night currency. The family boarded and they proceeded to Crescent City, California, where the airplane was refueled. They departed Crescent City airport with full fuel and flew to the Nut Tree Airport, Vacaville, California. The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) for Vacaville reported the winds to be calm, and the pilot landed on runway 20 without incident. The pilot refueled the airplane at idle power because he had experienced difficulty in starting the engine in Crescent City. He then taxied to runway 2 for takeoff. He raised the tail of the airplane at a lower airspeed than normal. The airplane yawed to the left and the pilot applied full right rudder. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway and bounced hard on a dirt berm. It spun around 180 degrees before coming to rest beside the runway. After exiting the airplane, the pilot noticed a steady 1- to 2-knot wind from 200 degrees. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. The wind conditions at Vacaville, at 0353, were reported to be from 200 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot flew a total of 17.4 hours in 2 days with little sleep. On the day of the accident, the pilot had been awake about 21 hours and had flown 15 hours.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 558 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 411 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VCV Vacaville CA at 10:25 am
- Destination: WVI Watsonville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 4,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from VCB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.