Cessna TU-206 accident near Dixie, Idaho, April 11, 1983
On April 11, 1983 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Cessna TU-206, registered N54M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dixie, Idaho (Whitewater airport). It was an instructional 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 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
- April 11, 1983 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Dixie, Idaho · Whitewater · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU-206 · all TU-206s on the register
- Registration
- N54M · registry record · serial U20602832
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A PINE TREE OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY DURING LANDING. THE AIRSTRIP BEING USED IS 1200 FEET LONG. THE PURPOSE OF USING IT WAS TO GIVE THE PILOT UNDER INSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE IN BUSH-TYPE AIRSTRIPS. THE P.U.I. WAS MAKING THE SECOND LANDING AFTER A DEMONSTRATION BY THE INSTRUCTOR. THE WINDS WERE VARIABLE AND TOUCHDOWN WAS LONGER THAN PROJECTED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN BOUNCED AND THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK OVER THE CONTROLS. THE FLAPS WERE RAISED AFTER GROUND CONTACT AND MAXIMUM BRAKING WAS USED BUT THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE AT THE END OF THE AIRSTRIP AND STOPPED A FEW FEET BEYOND. THERE IS NO GO-AROUND CAPABILITY AFTER REACHING SHORT FINAL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,200 hours in all; 3,530 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 5,810 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,085 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 31, 1982; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 1,200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.