Cessna U206 accident near Pettigrew, Arkansas, July 1, 1989
On July 1, 1989 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Cessna U206, registered N5304U, was destroyed in an accident near Pettigrew, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, HIS VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, HIGH TERRAIN, THE PILOT'S OVER CONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITY, AND HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 1989 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pettigrew, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206 · all U206s on the register
- Registration
- N5304U · registry record · serial 20605185
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT MADE SVRL INQUIRES ABOUT THE WX ALONG HIS ROUTE FM ARKANSAS TO SOUTH DAKOTA. HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. FINALLY, HE RPRTD THE WX AT THE DEPARTURE POINT WAS VFR & HE INDCD HE WOULD CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE EN ROUTE WX. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 25 MI NW OF THE DEPARTURE ARPT. THE ACDNT SITE WAS IN THE VCNTY OF A BOX CANYON IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEV OF 2100 FT. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A STEEP DSCNT. ON 7/11/89, THE ACFT WAS FOUND. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. ABT 40 MI WEST AT FT SMITH (ELEV 469'), THE 0621 CDT WX WAS IN PART: 700' SCATTERED, 4000 OVERCAST. CONVECTIVE SIGMETS 23C & 25C WARNED OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ALONG THE PROPOSED ROUTE.
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
- Flight time: 80 hours in all; 39 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 30, 1988; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Clarksville AR at 12:00 pm
- Destination: HSR Hotsprings SD
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 am from FSM, 40 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.