Controlled Flight Into Terrain · NTSB WPR15LA150
CESSNA 206H — Redding, CA
| Date | April 18, 2015 |
| Location | Redding, CA |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 206H |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 34 |
| Pilot total time | 850 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Miscellaneous-Intentional act-Suicide-Pilot - C
What happened
A witness reported that he saw the airplane climb and then abruptly descend straight down and that it sounded as if the engine was at full power. Radar data indicated that the airplane departed the airport climbing to the east. While still climbing, the airplane made an approximate 360-degree turn. When the airplane reached about 5,500 ft, it descended in a straight line until it impacted the ground. While law enforcement officers were on scene, they received notification of a welfare check on the pilot because he had sent suicidal text messages to friends and family members earlier that morning. The autopsy report determined that the pilot's cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and blunt force trauma with the manner of death being suicide.