Cessna TU206E N1499M accident near Murrieta, California

Probable cause

A malfunction of the flight control system and loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB analysis

As the airplane was climbing after takeoff, the pilot felt what he described as a shift in the airplane's attitude. The pilot tried to correct it with rudder input, then with manual trim, but neither actions corrected the out-of-trim condition. The pilot looked to see if something was jamming the rudder pedals, but could not find anything. The airplane was now in a slight descent and a shallow left turn. Exerting a great amount of effort he was able to get some response with the ailerons. The airplane was in a left turn descending orbit when the engine lost power; at that point the pilot identified a field to land in. Attempts to restart the engine were not successful. The pilot lowered 40 degrees of flaps and made an off-field landing that sheared off the nose gear. First responders reported that fuel was leaking from both wings when they arrived on scene. An FAA inspector reported that he found no anomalies with the airplane's flight controls, and that 60 to 80 gallons of fuel was recovered from the fuel tanks. A second and more detailed examination of the airplane's flight control system also revealed no anomalies. After wreckage recovery, the engine was test run. The engine started and ran for 2 minutes, achieving 2,000 rpm before being shut down.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for LAX08LA251 for the full record.