Cessna T206H accident near Billings, Montana, February 8, 2016
On February 8, 2016 at about 6:31 pm local time, a 2005 Cessna T206H, registered N562H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Billings, Montana (Billings Logan Intl Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to attain a proper flare during landing in gusting wind conditions and low-level wind shear, which resulted in a hard landing and a subsequent loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2016 · about 6:31 pm local time
- Place
- Billings, Montana · Billings Logan Intl Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206H, built 2005 · all T206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N562H · no longer on the register · serial T20608537
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that, just after landing, the airplane began to veer left and exited the side of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose landing gear fork and the right main landing gear strut were fractured in a manner consistent with overload. Examination of the damage to the airplane revealed that the main landing gear attachment points sustained upward crushing and the tail was bent downward; damage consistent with a hard landing. Control continuity was established, and no anomalies were revealed that would have precluded normal operation. Recorded wind information for the time of the accident indicated a 50- to 60-degree crosswind at 8 knots with gusts to 19 knots for the selected runway. Shortly before the airplane landed, a general wind shear warning was broadcast on the airport's tower control frequency. Wind shear was present in the area at altitudes below 2,000 ft above ground level (agl), and review of weather information valid at the time of the accident indicated several areas of clear air turbulence extending from the surface through 14,000 ft agl. Given the damage to the airplane, the surface wind profile, and upper level winds over the terrain, the accident flight likely encountered gusting wind conditions and low-level wind shear while landing. The airplane landed hard, damaging the landing gear, which resulted in the pilot's subsequent inability to maintain directional control.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during landing
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,620 hours in all; 220 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 21, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 2015; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,605 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 SER (piston); 155 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WY00 Ten Sleep WY at 5:30 pm
- Destination: BIL Billings MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28R, 10,518 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from BIL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on January 27, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Group Chairman's Weather Study Report | PDF, 25 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Group Chairman Weather Study Report - Attachment 1 | PDF, 93 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Email - Airframe Examination | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Air Traffic Control - Audio and radar | video | View Download |
| 6 | On Scene Photographs - Courtesy of Airport Operations | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N562H 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.