Cessna U206G accident near Willcox, Arizona, October 23, 2006
On October 23, 2006 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna U206G, registered N206LL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willcox, Arizona (Cochise County 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 misjudged flare and porpoising during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 2006 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Willcox, Arizona · Cochise County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N206LL · registry record · serial U20605495
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he decided to conduct touch-and-go takeoff and landings. During the second touch-and-go landing, upon touchdown, the airplane began "jumping again, striking the prop and going out of control." In a telephone interview with the investigator-in-charge, a witness described the landing as "flat attitude with power." He reported that the airplane began to oscillate, and after several porpoises, the propeller and nose tire impacted the runway simultaneously. The airplane veered to the right, and the left wing and propeller contacted the runway. The pilot added in his statement that the mechanic had installed a rubber bumper on the nose landing gear strut to prevent it from bottoming out. He also indicated that the mechanic installed the bumper without consulting him. The rubber bumper was installed in June 2006 and the airplane had been flown several times prior to the accident. The airplane sustained structural damage to the firewall.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 505 hours in all; 445 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 417 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P33 Willcox AZ at 5:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 6,095 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 034° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
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.