Cessna 206 accident near Wenatchee, Washington, January 25, 1986
On January 25, 1986 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 206, registered N8785Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wenatchee, Washington (Fancher airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- January 25, 1986 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Wenatchee, Washington · Fancher · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N8785Q · no longer on the register · serial U20603537
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DIVERTED FROM HIS INTENDED DESTINATION OF PANGBORN FIELD TO A LOCAL PRIVATE AIRSTRIP DUE TO LOCAL FOG. 8' OF CRUSTED SNOW WAS PRESENT ON THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER ON LANDING ROLL.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,211 hours in all; 3,510 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 15,060 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,750 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 30, 1985; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Richardson Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 3:00 am
- Destination: EAT Wenatchee WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,340 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.