Cessna TU-206G accident near Pistol Creek, Idaho, July 25, 2000
On July 25, 2000 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna TU-206G, registered N206RA, was destroyed in an accident near Pistol Creek, Idaho (Pistol Creek airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to the fracture of the #2 cylinder intake valve stem and the puncturing of the #2 piston dome by the intake valve head. Factors include no suitable landing site within the maneuvering abilities of the aircraft, and coniferous trees in the area where the pilot attempted a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2000 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pistol Creek, Idaho · Pistol Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU-206G · all TU-206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N206RA · registry record · serial U20605329
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departing Pistol Creek Airstrip to the northeast, the pilot executed a course reversal, and continued his climb toward his destination. As he passed back over Pistol Creek, a witness heard a loud popping or sputtering sound, and then the engine went silent. The pilot entered a left hand pattern in an attempt to make it to the northeast end of the runway. Although the aircraft maneuvered in a very tight turn, the pilot was unable to reach the end of the runway, and the aircraft impacted coniferous trees about 50 feet short of the threshold. A post accident inspection of the engine revealed that the number two exhaust valve had failed, destroying a significant portion of the dome of the number two piston. Due to damage to the fracture area of the recovered portion of the valve, no determination could be made as to the initiation source or mode of 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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,700 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,200 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 21, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M7B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: U70 Cascade ID
- Runway 23, 2,500 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.