Cessna 206 accident near Saint Croix, January 4, 1982
On January 4, 1982 at about 10:10 am local time, a Cessna 206, registered N5151U, was destroyed in an accident near Saint Croix (Alexander Hamilton airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 1982 · about 10:10 am local time
- Place
- Saint Croix · Alexander Hamilton
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N5151U · no longer on the register · serial C2060151
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT LANDED DURING DARKNESS BEFORE CONTROL TOWER HAD OPENED. WHILE TAXIING TO RAMP, AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY AN AMBULANCE AS AIRCRAFT WAS CROSSING PARALLEL TAXIWAY. AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY BURST INTO FLAMES, AND AMBULANCE CONTINUED TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE FLAMES, COMING TO A STOP 150 FEET BEYOND AIRCRAFT. AMBULANCE WAS ON A TEST DRIVE ON PARALLEL TAXIWAY,TRAVELING 45 TO 50 MPH WHICH EXCEEDED AIRPORT LIMIT OF 20 MPH. A FIREFIGHTER TRIED TO WARN DRIVER OF AMBULANCE BY RADIO BUT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. DRIVER STATED HE DID NOT SEE AIRCRAFT NOR DID HE SEE ANY LIGHTS ON AIRCRAFT. WITNESS REPORTED SEEING AIRCRAFT WITH NAVIGATION LIGHTS, LANDING LIGHT AND ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT ON. DRIVER REFUSED BLOOD ALCOHOL TEST AT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,884 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 297 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: STX San Juan PR
- Destination: Saint Croix
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 9, 7,612 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 167°F (75°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.