Cessna 208B N1037N

Summary

On 4 August 2004 at about 12:05 local time, a Cessna 208B registered N1037N was involved in an accident near Big Rapids, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 2004 at 12:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Rapids, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Roben-Hood (RBQ)

Coordinates

43.7225, -85.5042

Aircraft

Cessna 208B

Registration

N1037N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Rapids → Traverse City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04LA213

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to verify that the cargo door was latched properly prior to flight and the subsequent in-flight opening of the door. A contributing factor was the box which departed the cargo compartment and struck the horizontal stabilizer.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was substantially damaged when the cargo door inadvertently opened in-flight and a box departed the aircraft, striking the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that after loading the cargo, he and the loaders had to "muscle the cargo door closed due to a large volume of freight." The taxi and takeoff were normal, but a few minutes after leveling at cruising altitude the door ajar light illuminated. The pilot stated that "shortly after this illumination, there was a loud thud and [he] figured that a box had departed the aircraft and struck the tail." The pilot reported that aircraft control was normal after the accident. He stated that he employed the door ajar checklist, diverted to an intermediate airport, and landed uneventfully. When he exited the aircraft, the pilot saw the damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. An inspection of the cargo door installation on the accident aircraft revealed the door structure and locking mechanism were intact and appeared undamaged. The door closed and latched properly. The cargo door had a window installed. The inspection noted that with this design the door had enough flexibility to allow the forward frame of the door to be seated in the door jamb and latched, while the aft frame was outside the jamb and unlatched. The micro-switch for the DOOR WARNING annunciator light was located on the forward jamb. Therefore, it was possible in that configuration for the aft cargo door latch not to be engaged without the annunciator light being illuminated.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.