Cessna 180 accident near Payson, Arizona, June 18, 2006
On June 18, 2006 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1535C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payson, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the terrain during a low level flyby maneuver. A factor was glare from the sun and shadows created by the mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2006 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1535C · no longer on the register · serial 30239
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a cross-country flight to a remote dirt airstrip that he had been to several times before. A friend of the pilot was at the airstrip and saw the accident airplane approach from the south, and then fly over the airstrip about 150 feet above ground level. The friend looked away, but reported that he was aware of the engine sounds, which were not unusual and did not draw his attention. The friend heard a "thud" and the engine sounds stropped. He looked up and saw the airplane cartwheel on the west side of a pinnacle, north of the airstrip. The debris field was about 50 feet below the crest of the hill, and continued along a magnetic bearing of 045 degrees. Calculations indicated that the sun was 11 degrees above the horizon, and the magnetic bearing to the sun was 56 degrees. The pilot was turning into the sun, and the shadow side of the pinnacle just prior to impact. Glare from the sun likely affected his vision, and his ability to discern the terrain's proximity. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine.
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: 2,690 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-470-50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5AZ3 Queen Creek AZ at 12:55 pm
- Destination: PAN Payson AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from DVT, 30 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N1535C 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.