Cessna U206 accident near Grangeville, Idaho, August 23, 2010
On August 23, 2010 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna U206, registered N29100, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Grangeville, Idaho (Grangeville Idaho County airport). It was a positioning 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 pilot’s decision to fly with a known defective nosewheel assembly, which resulted in a loss of directional control and nose-over on landing after the assembly shifted out of alignment during the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2010 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Grangeville, Idaho · Grangeville Idaho County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206 C · all U206s on the register
- Registration
- N29100 · no longer on the register · serial U206-1072
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll on a turf airstrip, he noticed rattling and shaking after the nosewheel touched down, but had no problem holding a straight line. After taxiing to the tie-down area and parking the airplane, the pilot inspected the nose gear and found that the upper end of the nose gear scissor had separated from the casting and was lying on the tire. The pilot reported that he walked out to where he touched down and observed tire tracks on the grass, and it appeared that the nosewheel track began after a large ground squirrel hole. The pilot contacted his mechanic, who informed him that he should be able to fly home if he tied the nose gear scissor up. Before departing, the pilot taxied about 1,000 feet on the runway and made two 180-degree turns with no problems encountered. During the landing at his destination, the pilot held the nose gear off of the ground for about 1,500 feet. When the nosewheel contacted the ground, the airplane made a hard left turn that the pilot could not stop with right rudder and brake. When the airplane reached the edge of the runway, it nosed over. The pilot indicated that the nosewheel had evidently cocked 90 degrees prior to the landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,770 hours in all; 955 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,146 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2009; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors IO-520-F4B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Concord ID at 4:30 pm
- Destination: S80 Granville ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 5,101 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from KLWS, 48 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N29100 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.