Cessna TU206F accident near Yucca Valley, California, September 5, 1997
On September 5, 1997 at about 3:27 pm local time, a Cessna TU206F, registered N8487Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yucca Valley, California (Valley Vista airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the driver's failure to see the posted sign and yield to the landing aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1997 · about 3:27 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Yucca Valley, California · Valley Vista · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206F · all TU206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8487Q · no longer on the register · serial U20603345
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airport has an access road that crosses the active runway. The aircraft had landed and was on rollout when the pilot saw a truck approaching. He turned in an attempt to avoid the truck but was unable to prevent the collision. After impact, the truck rolled onto its side and the aircraft nosed over onto its back. At the intersection of the road and runway, a sign is posted that warns of landing aircraft. The driver did not see the sign or the landing aircraft.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 544 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 286 as pilot in command; 4 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,941 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 17, 1997; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L12 Redlands CA at 3:25 pm
- Destination: 6CA5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,800 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from TNP, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8487Q: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna TU206 343 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520M 60 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Valley Vista Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,094 in the last ten years
- California 28,286 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX97LA313.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.