Cessna TU206F accident near Avalon, California, March 19, 1998
On March 19, 1998 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna TU206F, registered N9674G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avalon, California (Catalina airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Contamination of the fuel system which led to a loss of engine power. Factors were the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing and the barbwire fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 1998 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Avalon, California · Catalina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206F · all TU206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9674G · registry record · serial U20601874
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the day before the accident the aircraft had been refueled. The flight had one intermediate stopover to retrieve documents before continuing on to its final destination. No mechanical anomalies were noted en route to the first point of landing. The pilot conducted another preflight inspection, with no abnormalities noted, and then departed for his final destination. At the departure end of the runway, the aircraft lost engine power and the pilot made a forced landing in a box canyon and came to rest after colliding with a barbwire fence. An engine repair station examined the engine and noted foreign debris in the flow divider, fuel screen, and metering valve.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 3,240 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,881 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 1997; 2,676 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVX at 6:09 pm
- Destination: SNA Santa Ana CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,240 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.