Cessna U206F accident near Page, Arizona, June 23, 2017
On June 23, 2017 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna U206F, registered N71001, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Page, Arizona. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the throttle control cable due to fatigue and maintenance personnel’s failure to replace the cable at the last engine overhaul, which resulted in the pilots’ inability to control engine power and led to a precautionary landing during which the airplane impacted bushes.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2017 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Page, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F, built 1973 · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N71001 · no longer on the register · serial U20602115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot, who was the pilot flying, reported that, while he, the copilot, and four passengers were returning to the airport following a sightseeing flight and while the airplane was at 7,500 ft, it would no longer climb. The airplane then slowly started to descend about 350 ft per minute. Unable to stop the descent, the pilots attempted to troubleshoot the problem but were unable to regain engine power. The pilot initiated a precautionary landing onto a dirt road. When the airplane was about 125 ft above ground level, the copilot took control of the airplane and landed it on the road. During the landing roll, the left wing impacted bushes before coming to rest. As the pilots retarded the throttle to idle, the throttle and about 2 ft of the throttle control cable came out of the control panel. Metallurgical examination of the throttle cable wires revealed flat fracture surfaces that were perpendicular to the wires' axes, and no evidence of necking or other deformation was found, which is consistent with a progressive fracture mechanism, such as fatigue. Therefore, the throttle control cable likely failed due to fatigue and resulted in the pilots' inability to control the engine power. A review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks revealed that the throttle control cable was installed more than 20 years before the accident. The airplane maintenance manual indicated that the engine controls, including the throttle control cable, should be replaced at every engine overhaul. The operator reported that the last engine overhaul was completed 163 hours before the accident. The logbooks did not indicate that the throttle control cable had been replaced during the overhaul. Given the evidence, maintenance personnel likely failed to replace the throttle control cable at the last engine overhaul, which led to the cable fracturing in flight due to fatigue and the subsequent inability of the pilots to control the engine power.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during uncontrolled descent
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Replacement › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Maintenance personnel
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 535 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 30 days; 285 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 4, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 685 hours in all; 35 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 16, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,970 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2017; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 LCF (piston); 3,190 hours total
- Operator: American Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: PGA Page AZ
- Destination: PGA Page AZ
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PGA, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on January 16, 2020. 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 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Federal Aviation Administration Inspector | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Cessna Maintenance Manual Excerpt | PDF, 2 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 N71001 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.