Cessna TU-206 accident near Cascade, Idaho, January 7, 1997
On January 7, 1997 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna TU-206, registered N717CM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cascade, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from the terrain while reversing course in mountainous terrain. Factors include the mountainous terrain and tall trees in the area where he was maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 1997 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cascade, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU-206 · all TU-206s on the register
- Registration
- N717CM · no longer on the register · serial U20604988
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot approached a mountain pass in order to see if the weather would allow him to fly through it to his destination. As he came closer to the pass, he decided that there was not enough clearance between the terrain and the overcast above. He therefore elected to reverse course. During the course reversal, he slowed to 65 knots, applied 20 degrees of flaps, and maneuvered at 100 to 150 feet above the terrain. Just after rolling out from the course reversal, the aircraft sank/settled into the trees below. Although the pilot thought the descent may have been initiated by the passenger accidentally bumping the flap switch to the full up position, he did not know for sure if that had happened. As the aircraft sank below tree-top level, the pilot slapped the flap switch to the full-down position.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 7,890 as pilot in command; 3,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,490 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 1996; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M(8) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 3U2 Yellow Pine ID
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.