N511RB

On June 22, 2000, at 2100 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 206, N511RB, collided with a dirt berm during an attempted takeoff from a pasture 16 miles north of Gerlach, Nevada. The airplane was operated by the owner/pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and sustained substantial damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed Boise, Idaho, at an unknown date and time, and was scheduled to terminate at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport, Santa Monica, California. The reason for the en route stop in the pasture was undetermined.

The accident was reported to the National Transportation Safety Board on June 26, 2000, after verification of damage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. Repeated attempts to reach the owner/pilot for additional information concerning the accident were unsuccessful.

According to the FAA inspector, the airplane was repaired and returned to service by Susanville Aviation, at the Susanville Municipal Airport, Susanville, California. The FAA made repeated attempts to reach the owner/pilot for more information about the accident, but were unsuccessful.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot's personal logbooks were unavailable for review by the Safety Board investigator. Review of the FAA Airmen and Medical certification records by the investigator revealed that the pilot received his private pilot certificate on November 10, 1997. On April 11, 2000, he was denied an instrument rating add-on to his private pilot certificate. On April 14, 2000, he was denied a second time. On April 14, 2000, the pilot reported his total flight time as 284 hours.