Cessna U206G accident near Gulf Of Mexico, May 5, 1996
On May 5, 1996 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna U206G, registered N9702Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gulf Of Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1996 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N9702Z · no longer on the register · serial U20606615
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during cruise flight after takeoff while flying at 500 feet above the water, he first noted that the oil temperature was near the 'high' end and he verified that the cowl flaps were open. The flight continued and the engine then ran rough momentarily then quit. The pilot landed the airplane in a heavy sea state that damaged one of the floats resulting in that float filling with water. All occupants donned personal flotation devices, exited the airplane, and were rescued 3 hours 20 minutes after the forced landing following a search by the Coast Guard, Navy, and civilian airplanes. The pilot further stated that there was no oil on the windscreen following the engine failure. The airplane was not recovered. The engine was rebuilt by the engine manufacturer on June 14, 1994, and had accumulated about 1,033 hours at the time of the failure.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,206 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 1996; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F17B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTF Dry Tortugas Is FL at 6:35 pm
- Destination: 6FL5 Key West FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from EYW, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.