Cessna U206G accident near Dos Palos, California, September 12, 1995
On September 12, 1995 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Cessna U206G, registered N6355U, was destroyed in an accident near Dos Palos, California. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot-in-command's failure to assure that adequate airspeed was maintained.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 1995 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Dos Palos, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N6355U · no longer on the register · serial 05446
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was on contract to the USDA to dispense sterile Bullworm moths over selected farm fields. The pilot was required to fly at 500 feet agl and 110 knots. A pilot-rated passenger was carried on this flight so that the pilot could evaluate him for possible employment. Ground witnesses first observed the aircraft in a nose-down attitude spinning through an altitude of 500 feet agl. After two turns the aircraft stopped spinning, but continued descending in a nose-down attitude to ground impact. The aircraft crashed between two planned dispensing points in flat open farm land under VFR conditions with moderate temperatures and mild winds. Both occupants held commercial pilot certificates, were current in the aircraft, and had previously flown together on similar flights. Both pilots sustained hand/arm injuries consistent with control manipulation at impact. Both occupants were found outside the aircraft, the pilot on the right side and the pilot-rated passenger on the left. The aircraft was found to be properly loaded with no evidence found of in-flight mechanical, electrical, or structural failures/malfunctions.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,020 hours in all; 1,820 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,987 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 15, 1995; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-520-F23B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture
The flight
- Departed from: MIT Shafter CA at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 pm from MCE, 19 miles away
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.