Cessna TU206G accident near Soda Springs, Idaho, November 21, 1982
On November 21, 1982 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna TU206G, registered N4606U, was destroyed in an accident near Soda Springs, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 21, 1982 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Soda Springs, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206G · all TU206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4606U · no longer on the register · serial U20604998
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A SEARCH FOR THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEGUN AFTER THE PILOT'S RELATIVES REPORTED IT WAS OVERDUE AND RESIDENTS NEAR THE CRASH SITE HEARD THE SOUNDS OF A LOW FLYING PLANE SUDDENLY TERMINATE. UNOFFICIAL REPORTS OF THE WEATHER INDICATED IT WAS ABOUT 200 FT OBSCURED, 1/4 MI VISIBILITY WITH HEAVY SNOW, TEMP 30 DEG, WIND 200 DEG AT 5 KTS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND IN FEBRUARY 1983 BY A CROSS-COUNTRY SKIER. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED IT HAD CRASHED AT HIGH SPEED IN A NEAR VERTICAL DIVE. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT HAD NOT FILED A FLIGHT PLAN AND NO RECORD OF A WEATHER BRIEFING WAS FOUND. THERE WERE NO COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PILOT AFTER HE DEPARTED THE SALT LAKE CITY AREA. HE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED A DISCRETE TRANSPONDER CODE DURING DEPARTURE AND HAD NOT CHANGED THE CODE, THUS A RADAR TRACK WAS OBTAINED. THE RADAR SHOWED A CONTINUOUS TRACK TO THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT, THEN WAS INTERMITTENTLY LOST AND REMAINED IN "BOBS AND WEAVES" UNTIL IT DISAPPEARED. NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURES WERE FOUND.
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
- Flight time: 624 hours in all; 343 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 571 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Destination: IDA Idaho Falls ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 86°F (30°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.