Cessna U206F accident near Caribbean Sea, October 14, 1986
On October 14, 1986 at about 3:02 pm local time, a Cessna U206F, registered N8147Q, was destroyed in an accident near Caribbean Sea. 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
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
- October 14, 1986 · about 3:02 pm local time
- Place
- Caribbean Sea
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8147Q · no longer on the register · serial U20603098
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED UPON DITCHING IN THE OCEAN AFTER SUSTAINING ENG FAILURE SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PLT STATED THAT HE CHECKED THE FUEL TANKS WITH A CALIBRATED DIP-STICK AND DETERMINED THERE WAS 20 GALS OF FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK AND 15 GALS IN THE RIGHT TANK. HE STATED THAT HE DRAINED THE ENG FUEL SUMP & THE TWO WING SUMPS DURING HIS PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT BUT DID NOT DRAIN THE TWO UNDER-BELLY SUMPS AS HE DID NOT KNOW OF THEIR EXISTENCE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,309 hours in all; 641 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,277 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1986; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STT St. Thomas at 2:55 pm
- Destination: STX St.Croix
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:02 pm from STT, 6 miles away
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.