Cessna U206E accident near Red Lodge, Montana, June 9, 1997
On June 9, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna U206E, registered N206EC, was destroyed in an accident near Red Lodge, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's flight into known adverse weather and the subsequent overload and separation of the right wing-strut fuselage-to-strut attach point. Factors contributing were clouds and obscuration.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Red Lodge, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206E · all U206Es on the register
- Registration
- N206EC · no longer on the register · serial U20601603
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non instrument-rated pilot obtained two separate weather briefings on the late afternoon and following morning prior to departing on his intended flight from Glendive, MT, to McCall, ID. He was advised by the briefer that 'VFR flight was not recommended' due to a low pressure system in Montana along with obscurations. The flight departed Glendive; and approximately 4 hours later, the pilot radioed Great Falls AFSS looking for a VFR airport available for landing. Witnesses observed seeing the aircraft exit clouds (bases approximately 6,000 feet MSL or 800 feet AGL) and break up, with both wings separating. Weather at the site was described as 'low clouds' and 'overcast' with poor visibility. Both wing struts separated at the strut-to-fuselage attach points, and the right wing was found in two separate pieces just short of the intact left wing. Both wings impacted terrain short of the fuselage ground impact site. The wing spar carry-through channel was observed to have separated just inboard of the right wing-root to fuselage attach point. The fracture surfaces were characteristic of instantaneous overload separations. All horizontal and vertical control surfaces remained with the fuselage except the right elevator.
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; 234 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 571 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,101 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1997; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-F2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GDV Glendive MT at 2:40 pm
- Destination: MYL Mccall ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from BIL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.