Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to remain clear of rising terrain while maneuvering at low altitude.
NTSB analysis
Shortly after takeoff, on a training flight to conduct terrain following maneuvers at low altitude and maximum gross weight, the airplane collided with trees on a mountain side. The airplane impacted at 3,761 feet above mean sea level on a 6,285-foot mountain peak. Although the airplane was nearly consumed by a post-crash fire, a postaccident examination of the engine and airframe found no mechanical anomalies that would have prevented the normal operation of the airplane. There were no witnesses to the accident.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA10FA027 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Oct 22, 2009
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Elizabethton, Tennessee
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna U206G
- N-number
- N120MS
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.