2015 Cessna 206H Crash Near Redding, California (N3535M)

Accident Overview and Flight History On April 18, 2015, at approximately 0838 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 206H, registration N3535M, struck terrain about six miles east of Redding Municipal Airport (RDD) in Redding, California. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured, and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight originated from RDD at about 0830. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was registered to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest NA Trustee and operated by McClelland Aviation doing business as Aperture Aviation under 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 as a personal flight. A witness reported seeing the airplane climb and gain altitude before it abruptly descended straight down at what sounded like full power. The witness heard the engine slowly decelerate about 500 feet above the ground before the aircraft impacted an open field, noting no evasive maneuvers prior to impact. Radar data indicated the airplane took off and climbed eastward. About nine miles from the airport, it continued to climb and made an approximate 360-degree turn, reaching about 5,500 feet toward the end of the turn. The airplane then descended in a straight line until it impacted the ground. Law enforcement reported receiving notification of a welfare check on the pilot while on scene, as he had sent suicidal text messages to friends and family earlier that morning. ## Personnel and Aircraft Information The pilot, age 34, held a commercial pilot certificate and a certified flight instructor certificate for airplane single- and multi-engine land with an instrument rating. He also held a first-class airman medical certificate issued October 14, 2014, with no limitations. During his most recent medical examination, he reported 850 total flight hours, 350 of which occurred in the previous six months. The two-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear airplane, serial number 20608161, was manufactured in 2001. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-AC1A5, 300 horsepower engine, and equipped with a McCauley Model B3D36C432/80VSA-1 controllable pitch propeller. The airplane's most recent maintenance was an annual inspection that occurred on May 12, 2015. ## Meteorological, Wreckage, and Medical Information At 0753, the weather at RDD was reported as calm wind, 10 statute miles of visibility, clear skies, a temperature of 13 degrees C, a dewpoint of 8 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.02 inches of Mercury. Given the nature of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board did not conduct an on-scene examination. However, photographs provided by law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration revealed the airplane impacted in a nose-low attitude and was heavily fragmented throughout. The engine was separated from the firewall and heavily damaged, with the camshaft found separated and bent mid-span. A heavy fuel odor was present around the wreckage. The Shasta County Coroner reported the pilot's cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and blunt force trauma, with the manner of death being suicide. The Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot, finding no evidence of tested drugs in the muscle. The test was positive for ethanol (24 mg/dL) in the muscle, though it was unable to be determined if the ethanol was from ingestion or postmortem production.