Cessna P206 accident near Manteo, North Carolina, June 6, 2002
On June 6, 2002 at about 11:15 am local time, a Cessna P206, registered N2594X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manteo, North Carolina (Dare County Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a total loss of engine power due to the failure of a connecting rod bolt because of fatigue, resulting in damage to the airplane during the subsequent ditching.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 2002 · about 11:15 am local time
- Place
- Manteo, North Carolina · Dare County Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206 · all P206s on the register
- Registration
- N2594X · no longer on the register · serial P206-0094
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Just after takeoff, at an estimated altitude 200 feet, the airplane's engine lost partial power. The pilot checked the throttle for full power, and began a turn back to the airport under partial power. At a point about 90 degrees to the departure runway, he said the "engine power was lost completely," and the airplane "lost significant altitude." He elected to perform a water landing, rather than risk hitting homes on the shore. The airplane impacted in about 7 feet of water. An engine teardown revealed a hole in the upper case halves between cylinders 3 and 4. The number 3 and 4 connecting rods were broken from the wrist pin to the crankshaft. Laboratory examination revealed the fracture surface of the threaded half of one of the connecting rod bolts was very flat, contained arrest marks, and had a thumbnail pattern indicative of fatigue propagation. The fatigue region consumed approximately 80 percent of the cross-sectional area.
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: 255 hours in all; 236 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 213 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 21, 1948
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,874 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 2002; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KMQI Manteo NC at 11:14 am
- Destination: KBQK Brunswick GA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 23, 4,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:20 am from KMQI, 1 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.