Cessna 206 accident near Saugus, California, June 8, 1997
On June 8, 1997 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 206, registered N756PU, was destroyed in an accident near Saugus, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate terrain clearance altitude while attempting VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1997 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Saugus, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N756PU · no longer on the register · serial U20604255
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told air traffic control (ATC) that he was over a hole in the clouds and planned to descend through it en route to his destination. ATC advised the pilot that the area was overcast and issued the current destination weather. ATC advised that radar contact had been lost and the pilot acknowledged. ATC twice requested that the pilot ident but received no beacon returns. After ATC advised the pilot that radar contact was lost and issued the tower frequency, no further communications were received. The weather was scattered clouds at 8,000 and 15,000 feet with 40 miles visibility north of a mountain ridge. South of the ridge were scattered clouds at 2,500 feet and a broken ceiling at 3,300 feet with 7 miles visibility. Estimated cloud tops were about 8,000 feet. The highest terrain between the pilot and his destination was about 4,000 feet. The aircraft crashed on an ascending northern slope at the 3,700-foot elevation. The pilot had received a weather forecast that included obscuration in the vicinity of mountains, turbulence, and precipitation throughout the evening with VFR flight not recommended.
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
- Flight time: 230 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 23, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F9 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MMH Mammoth Lakes CA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: BUR Burbank CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.