Cessna 501 accident near Sedona, Arizona, October 2, 1989
On October 2, 1989 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 501, registered N617CC, was destroyed in an accident near Sedona, Arizona (Sedona 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
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT WHICH RESULTED IN HIS INABILITY TO FLARE THE AIRCRAFT AND/OR RECOVER FROM A BOUNCED LANDING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: CROSSWIND, GUSTS, TURBULENCE, DOWNDRAFT, AND THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1989 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · Sedona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 501 · all 501s on the register
- Registration
- N617CC · registry record · serial 617
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARRIVAL, THE PLT CONTACTED SEDONA UNICOM & WAS ADVISED THAT RWY 21 WAS IN USE & THAT THE WINDS WERE GUSTING TO 25 KTS. HE RPRTD THAT TURBULENCE WAS STRONG THRU-OUT THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. FULL FLAPS WERE LOWERED ON FINAL APCH. A STRONG DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED ON FINAL APCH & POWER WAS INCREASED 'TO MAINTAIN VASI AND VREF.' TURBULENCE & A DOWNDRAFT WERE RPRTD TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG OVER THE THRESHOLD. THE PLT STATED THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON ALL 3 GEAR, THEN IT PITCHED UP & BEGAN TO PORPOISE WITH INCREASING AMPLITUDE. ON THE 2ND TOUCHDOWN, POWER WAS APPLIED, BUT THE ENG NEEDED 5 TO 7 SEC TO SPOOL UP. THE PLT SAID THAT AFTER THE ACFT PORPOISE 3 TIMES, IT WAS IN A STALL FROM WHICH IT WOULD NOT RECOVER. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT WENT OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY, CROSSED A PARALLEL TAXIWAY & ENTERED A WOODED AREA BEFORE STOPPING. NO MECHANICAL PROBLEM OF THE ACFT WAS RPRTD THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN 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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,460 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 122 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 11,850 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT15D-1A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,135 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 25 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.