Cessna TU206G accident near Mullan, Idaho, June 8, 2006
On June 8, 2006 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna TU206G, registered N5136X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mullan, Idaho. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's VFR flight into IMC and his subsequent failure to maintain terrain clearance. The pilot's inadequate inflight planning/decision, mountain obscuration, trees and high terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2006 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mullan, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206G · all TU206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N5136X · no longer on the register · serial U20605582
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane flew into terrain while maneuvering after encountering weather. Before the first leg of the two-leg on-demand air taxi flight began, the pilot had checked the weather with the FSS for the entire route of flight. The specialist reported mountain obscuration and reduced visibility with rain and fog/overcast. The worst of the weather was reported for the second leg of the flight through the mountain pass with the fog/overcast reported as indefinite at 100 feet. After departure from the originating airport, the pilot requested an updated weather briefing. The weather report was similar and had not changed significantly. The flight landed at the first destination without incident. While on the ground, the pilot once again contacted the FSS to get an updated briefing for the final leg of the flight. The specialist reported that VFR flight was still not recommended and that there were AIRMETs for mountainous terrain obscured and occasional IFR conditions. An automated surface observing system (ASOS) is located at the mountain pass through which the flight was intending to fly. The ASOS at the time was reporting IFR with visibility 1/4 mile in fog, and ceiling broken at 100 feet, and overcast at 600 feet. The destination airport was reporting moderate to heavy showers which were slowly moving in. The specialist recommended to the pilot that he should wait at the airport as the forecast was showing an improving trend throughout the day. A witness traveling westbound on the interstate that runs east/west through the mountain pass, reported that she observed an aircraft traveling eastbound directly over the interstate. She estimated that the aircraft was just below the ceiling, which was a solid layer about 500 feet agl. She stated that from about 1 mile east to 1 mile west of the top of the pass, the clouds were directly on the road. As she descended lower in the valley, the cloud bases were no higher than about 500 feet agl. On site investigation of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft collided with several trees and subsequently the steeply rising terrain in an easterly direction on the south side of the interstate and about 150 feet above the roadway surface. At the approximate time of the accident, the ASOS located about 3 miles east of the accident site was reporting an indefinite ceiling at 100 feet, and a visibility of zero.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,350 hours in all; 29 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,852 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 2005; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COE Coeur D'Alene ID at 7:35 pm
- Destination: MSO Missoula MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 0 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 100 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MLP, 3 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N5136X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.