Cessna U206G accident near Rutland, Vermont, October 9, 1988
On October 9, 1988 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna U206G, registered N9431R, was destroyed in an accident near Rutland, Vermont (Rutland airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were seriously injured. 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 9, 1988 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rutland, Vermont · Rutland
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N9431R · no longer on the register · serial U20606862
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE WAS OBSERVED BY TWO PILOTS WHO WERE AWAITING TAKEOFF AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RWY IN USE. ONE OF THE PILOTS REPORTED THAT THE PLT OF THE ACDT ACFT ADVISED HIM THAT THE ACDT ACFT HAD ENCOUNTERED ICE DURING THE FLIGHT. THE ACDT ACFT WAS OBSERVED ON A 'TIGHT' DOWNWIND OPPOSITE THE TOUCHDOWN POINT AT ABOUT 600 FT AGL. AT THAT POINT THE WINGS OF THE ACDT ACFT DIPPED FROM SIDE TO SIDE 4 OR 5 TIMES. NEXT, THE ACFT MADE A LEFT, DESCENDING TURN TOWARD THE RWY. DURING THE TURN, THE LT WING DROPPED SUDDENLY AND THE ACFT DESCENDED TO THE GROUND FROM ABOUT 200 - 300 FT AGL. ONE ON THE FIRST WITNESSES TO ARRIVE AT THE ACDT SCENE, ABOUT 45 MIN AFTER THE ACDT OCCURRED, REPORTED SEEING ICE ON THE TOP OF ACDT ACFT WING. A WITNESS REPORTED THE TEMP AT THE TIME OF THE ACDT WAS 38 DEG F.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,330 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 561 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 11, 1988; 71 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: BAF Westfield MA at 12:00 pm
- Destination: RUT Rutland VT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.