20200317001339A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 208B · La Crosse, KS · March 17, 2020

Date: March 17, 2020 · 09:00 local
Place: La Crosse, KS
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: DPUA
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N274PM
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN20LA122
Reported as: Cessna 208B
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 8,900 total418 in this make and model82 in the last 90 days

N274PMRegistered now · Cessna 208BS/N 208B0705 · Built 1998 Airframe modelCessna 208B Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot operating in IMC conditions was observed flying under clouds with 300 to 600 foot ceilings. Came out of clouds and then reentered clouds several times. Then while under cloud base, he made a very hard pull up and reentered clouds. The aircraft flew out of the clouds in a near vertical dive and impacted the ground.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT OPERATING IN IMC CONDITIONS WAS OBSERVED FLYING UNDER CLOUDS WITH 300 TO 600 FOOT CEILINGS. CAME OUT OF CLOUDS AND THEN REENTERED CLOUDS SEVERAL TIMES. THEN WHILE UNDER CLOUD BASE, HE MADE A VERY HARD PULL UP AND REENTERED CLOUDS. THE AIRCRAFT FLEW OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN A NEAR VERTICAL DIVE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN20LA122Accident · 1 fatalClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportLaCrosse, KSAn infight loss of control as a result of pilot impairment, the cause of which could not be determined.Mar 17, 2020 · Destroyed