Cessna 208 N275PM

Summary

On 17 December 2011 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 208 registered N275PM, operated by Skydive Mesquite, was involved in an accident near Mesquite, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 December 2011 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesquite, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Mesquite Airport (K67L)

Coordinates

36.8331, -114.0558

Aircraft

Cessna 208

Registration

N275PM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Skydive Mesquite

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → Mesquite

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12CA069

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper preflight planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to the flight, the pilot fueled the airplane with 16 gallons of jet fuel. He planned to make two local flights carrying skydivers aloft. During the second skydiving flight, he delayed releasing the skydivers due to traffic in the area. As he turned the airplane back toward the drop zone, the airplane's engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot signaled the skydivers to exit the airplane, feathered the propeller, and executed a forced landing to the runway. The airplane landed long, went off the end of the runway, across a road, and finally came to rest on a golf course. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. He also stated that the cause of the loss of engine power was poor fuel management and fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.