Cessna TU206C accident near S. Lake Tahoe, California, June 20, 1987
On June 20, 1987 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna TU206C, registered N1177T, was substantially damaged in an accident near S. Lake Tahoe, California (Lake Tahoe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 1987 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- S. Lake Tahoe, California · Lake Tahoe
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206C · all TU206Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1177T · no longer on the register · serial U206-0986
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST AFTER LIFT-OFF DURING A DOWNWIND DEPARTURE THE PILOT DECIDED THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT CLIMBING NORMALLY AND ABORTED THE TAKE-OFF AT MID-FIELD. THE PILOT REDUCED POWER AND EXTENDED 40 DEGREES OF FLAPS. THE PILOT THEN DECIDED THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RELAND AND ADDED FULL POWER AND RETRACTED THE FLAPS TO 10 DEGREES. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN APRX ONE QUARTER MILE FROM THE RUNWAY. THERE WERE NO REPORTED MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 771 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 471 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,734 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 13, 1986; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVL Lake Tahoe CA at 7:10 pm
- Destination: 061 Cameron Park CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 8,544 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:05 pm from TVL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.