Cessna U206G accident near Kelleys Island, Ohio, January 16, 2004
On January 16, 2004, a Cessna U206G, registered N9940M, suffered minor damage in an accident near Kelleys Island, Ohio (Kelleys Island Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to unload passengers and leave the airplane unattended while the engine was running, and the passenger's inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in an inadvertent encounter with a rotating propeller. A factor related to the accident was the impairment of the passenger due to alcohol.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2004
- Place
- Kelleys Island, Ohio · Kelleys Island Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N9940M · registry record · serial U20604590
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon arriving at the airport, the pilot parked the airplane, and pulled the power back to idle to let two passengers out. The pilot left the engine running because he was planning on conducting another flight. The pilot set the parking brake, and as he exited the airplane, he observed the rear seat passenger exit from the rear baggage door, and walk away from the airplane. The front seat passenger then exited through the pilot's door, and proceeded to his vehicle. While the pilot was boarding a new passenger for another flight, he observed one of the previous passengers return to the airplane, and walk around the right wing strut. The pilot then heard a strange sound, and the engine stopped running. The pilot exited the airplane and observed the passenger lying on the ground after being struck by the propeller. Prior to the 10-minute flight, the passengers "each drank a couple of beers."
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 3, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,307 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 2,066 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SKY Sandusky OH
- Destination: 89D
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
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.