Cessna 206 accident near Show Low, Arizona, March 20, 1994
On March 20, 1994 at about 4:45 am local time, a Cessna 206, registered N5222U, was destroyed in an accident near Show Low, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's intentional VFR flight into known adverse IMC weather conditions. Inadequate preflight planning, dark night operations, and weather conditions that included low ceilings and mountain obscuration were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1994 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- Show Low, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N5222U · no longer on the register · serial 2060222
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ON A PERSONAL VFR CROSS-COUNTRY NIGHT FLIGHT TOWARD MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING THAT INDICATED VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE DESTINATION WEATHER CONDITIONS CONSISTED OF RAIN, LOW CEILINGS AND LOW VISIBILITY, ICING CONDITIONS, AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION. THE PILOT DEPARTED ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS AFTER THE BRIEFING AND DID NOT ARRIVE AT THE DESTINATION. AFTER BEING REPORTED OVERDUE, THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED 2 DAYS LATER ABOUT 9 MILES EAST OF THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT CURRENT AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT CERTIFICATED FOR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,281 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 1993; 161 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P10 Chandler AZ at 7:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.