Cessna TU206G accident near Ruby, Arizona, November 13, 1992
On November 13, 1992 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna TU206G, registered XBBRI, was destroyed in an accident near Ruby, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO INACCURATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1992 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ruby, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206G · all TU206Gs on the register
- Registration
- XBBRI · no longer on the register · serial U20605340
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE MEXICAN REGISTERED AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH HILLY TERRAIN WHILE MANEUVERING FOR A PRESUMED LANDING FOLLOWING FUEL EXHAUSTION IN A REMOTE DESERT AREA NEAR THE MEXICO AND US BORDER. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED THAT IT WAS INTACT AND ONLY ABOUT FIVE OUNCES OF FUEL WERE FOUND IN THE TOTAL SYSTEM. THE FUEL SYSTEM HAD BEEN MODIFIED WITH THE ADDITION OF NON STANDARD LONG RANGE BLADDER TANKS IN THE WINGS. ACCORDING TO INFORMATION FROM THE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, US CUSTOMS AND THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, THE AIRCRAFT REPORTEDLY DEPARTED DURANGO, MEXICO, AT AN UNKNOWN TIME WITH A PRESUMED DESTINATION OF NOGALES, MEXICO (17 MILES SOUTH OF THE CRASH SITE). US CUSTOMS AND DEA REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE UNITED STATES AT LOW ALTITUDE WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN OR ENTRY DECLARATION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BY GROUND WITNESSES FLYING LOW IN THE GULLIES AND VALLEYS OF THE HILLY DESERT TERRAIN, THEN THEY HEARD THE ENGINE SPUTTER AND STOP. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE SLOPE OF A HILL SIDE IN A GULLY WITH FLAPS IN A LANDING CONFIGURATION.
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: foreign licence
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,698 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UNK Durango
- Destination: UNK Nogales
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from TUC, 48 miles away
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.