Cessna P206A accident near Clearwater, Idaho, September 13, 2004
On September 13, 2004 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna P206A, registered N4661F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clearwater, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fatigue crack propagation of the number three piston pin while in cruise flight, leading to a power off forced landing in an open field. Factors include soft uphill terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 2004 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Clearwater, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206A · all P206As on the register
- Registration
- N4661F · no longer on the register · serial P206-0261
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route, the aircraft's engine began to run rough, vibrate, and make a lot of unusual noises. Soon thereafter the oil pressure dropped to 0 psi, and the engine seized. The pilot then attempted an emergency power-off landing in an open field, but the nose gear collapsed, and the nose gear strut dug into the dirt resulting in the aircraft nosing over onto its back. A teardown inspection of the engine revealed that the number three piston pin had failed, and as a result a significant portion of the internal components of the engine had been destroyed. An examination of the Superior Air Parts piston pin revealed that it had failed along a fatigue crack that propagated across the longitudinal axis of the pin. The portion of the pin that contained the origin of the crack was not recovered, and therefore a determination of the initiating factor could not be made. ,
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,751 hours in all; 275 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 19,890 as pilot in command; 217 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 24, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,248 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 2004; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S87 Weiser ID at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 1U1 Moose Creek ID
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.