Cessna 195 accident near Great Falls, Montana, July 3, 2006
On July 3, 2006 at about 4:03 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N6857D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Great Falls, Montana (Great Falls International Arpt 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 loss of aircraft control during the takeoff roll, and the subsequent inadvertent ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2006 · about 4:03 pm local time
- Place
- Great Falls, Montana · Great Falls International Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N6857D · registry record · serial 7848
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that as he taxied onto the runway, the wind was variable "seeming to come from all quadrants." He applied power slowly as he lined up on the center line; he had about 30 percent power on when the airplane started veering to the right. The pilot said that full left rudder and tapping the left brake did not change the course. As the airplane approached the edge of the runway, the left main landing gear folded under the fuselage and the aircraft settled onto the runway. The left main landing gear damaged the bottom of the fuselage, the engine mount was damaged, and the outboard four feet of the left wing was bent up.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 185 in this make and model; 19,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,250 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs 755-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GTF Great Falls MT at 10:00 am
- Destination: YQL Lethbridge
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 34, 6,357 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from GTF
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.