Cessna TU206G accident near Jean, Nevada, December 7, 1986
On December 7, 1986 at about 2:25 am local time, a Cessna TU206G, registered N732ZF, was destroyed in an accident near Jean, Nevada (Mccarran Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- December 7, 1986 · about 2:25 am local time
- Place
- Jean, Nevada · Mccarran Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206G · all TU206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N732ZF · no longer on the register · serial U20604742
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE AT NIGHT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN, THE ACFT RAN OUT OF FUEL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLT WAS PROVIDED VECTORS TOWARD A HIWAY FOR A FORCED LNDG. HOWEVER, BEFORE REACHING THE AREA OF THE HIWAY, THE ACFT CRASHED ON RISING TERRAIN AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 4000 FT. EXCEPT FOR LACK OF FUEL, NO PREIMPACT ACFT OR ENG PROBLEM WAS FND. APRX 26 MI NNE, THE 1838 PST LAS VEGAS WX WAS IN PART: ESTIMATED 400 FT BROKEN, 1500 FT OVERCAST, VIS 4 MI WITH FOG & LGT RAIN. THE ELEV OF THE WX FACILITY WAS 2174 FT. AN INV REVEALED THE ACFT HAD BEEN FULLY SERVICED WITH FUEL ON 12/3/86 & HAD FLOWN APRX 4 HRS PRIOR TO THE ACDNT FLT. NO RECORD WAS FND OF ANY FURTHER REFUELING. THE ACFT HAD A FUEL CAPACITY OF 88 GAL, OF WHICH, 4 GAL WAS CONSIDERED AS UNUSABLE. ACCORDING TO AN ESTIMATE BASED ON FLT MANUAL INFO, THE ACFT WOULD HAVE CONSUMED NEARLY88 GAL OF FUEL SINCE THE LAST KNOWN REFUELING. ON 9/3/86, WHEN THE PLT TOOK A MED EXAM, HE RPRTD HE HAD A TOTAL FLT TIME OF 2930 HRS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,930 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,443 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 11, 1985; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHV Mojave CA
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 am from LAS, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 | 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.