Cessna 208B N617ST
11 November 2015 · Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 November 2015 at about 15:50 local time, a Cessna 208B registered N617ST, operated by Sartec Corp, was involved in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. 10 people were 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.
The record
- Date
- at 15:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Grand Forks International (KGFK)
- Coordinates
- 47.9472, -97.1739
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B
- Registration
- N617ST
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2004
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Sartec Corp
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Anoka → Grand Forks
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN16LA089
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to properly calculate the airplane's weight and balance and center of gravity, which resulted in the tail striking the ground.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country business flight. He landed the airplane and then taxied to the ramp. The pilot instructed the passengers to remain seated and then deplaned to attach the tailstand, at which point the airplane tipped back and struck the pavement with its tail. The pilot reboarded and instructed the passengers to leave their seats and move forward, and the airplane righted itself. The forward bulkhead for the horizontal stabilizer attachment point was crushed and torn, and three stringers, another bulkhead, and the lower skin were damaged in the accident. The center of gravity (CG) was calculated postaccident based on the available weight and balance data, and it was aft of the CG limit. It is likely that the pilot did not properly calculate the airplane's weight and balance and CG, which resulted in the airplane tipping backward as the pilot attempted to attach the tailstand.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 208 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Aug 2015 | Cessna 208B | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Multi-Aero, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 2015 | Cessna 208 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Mountain Air Cargo Inc | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2015 | Cessna 208B | Saba, Netherlands Antilles | Mountain Air Cargo | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Nov 2015 | Cessna 208B | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Multi-Aero Inc | No injuries | - |
| 10 Mar 2015 | Cessna 208B | Muskegon, Michigan, United States | Martinaire Aviation, L.L.C. | No injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 2015 | Cessna 208B | Pickle Lake, Ontario, Canada, Canada | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2015 | Bellanca 7GCBC | Williston, North Dakota, United States | Thomas T. Ritter | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 2015 | Piper PA 25-260 | Casselton, North Dakota, United States | William R. Dittmer | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2015 | Refling RV8 | Bottineau, North Dakota, United States | Charles Refling | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 2015 | Piper PA 25-235 | Harvey, North Dakota, United States | Jakes Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2015 | Piper PA 28-180 | Steele, North Dakota, United States | Dewitz Chase | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2014 | Larry Ketterling FEW P-51 MUSTANG | Lisbon, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |