# NTSB ERA19TA278: Cessna 208, N895SF, Pepperell, MA, September 20, 2019 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Final report - Date: September 20, 2019, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC) - Place: Pepperell, MA - Coordinates: 42.696945, -71.548889 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.6969&lon=-71.5489&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 100315 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA19TA278 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/100315/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=100315 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19TA278 ## Probable cause The pilot's loss of control when the airplane encountered a downdraft during landing approach, which resulted in a subsequent hard landing and gear collapse. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: descent rate](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062037): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 208B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062037/cases.md?model=2073701), [All aircraft, 242 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062037/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 208B, 19 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=2073701), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Wind: downdraft](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034035): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 208B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034035/cases.md?model=2073701), [All aircraft, 178 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034035/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach-VFR pattern final: Other weather encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/400); cases with it: [Cessna 208B, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/400/sequence.md?model=2073701), [All aircraft, 1,127 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/400/sequence.md) - [Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 208B, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=2073701), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Landing: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092); cases with it: [Cessna 208B, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=2073701), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) ## Analysis The commercial pilot, 10 skydivers, and 1 passenger departed on a skydiving flight. After the skydivers jumped, the pilot and passenger returned to the airport to land. The pilot stated that, during the landing, he encountered a sudden downdraft and the airplane dropped out of the air from about 10 to 15 ft above the runway. The airplane landed hard and the nose landing gear collapsed; the airplane slid to the right side of the runway, crossed the parallel runway, and impacted a tree. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing was bent up about 3 ft from the wing tip and the nose landing gear was fracture-separated. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain airplane control during the landing, which resulted in a hard landing. ## Factual narrative On September 20, 2019, about 1230 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 208B, N895SF, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Pepperell Airport (26MA), Pepperell, Massachusetts. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the skydiving flight that departed at 1215. The airplane was privately owned and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the pilot, he was flying 10 skydivers and one passenger up to an altitude of 10,500 ft mean sea level. After the skydivers departed the airplane, the pilot returned to the airport and made a normal approach to land on runway 24. When the airplane was about 10-15 ft above the runway, he thought he encountered a sudden downdraft and the airplane just "dropped" out of the air and landed hard on the grass runway. The nose landing gear fractured off as the airplane slid to the right side of the runway and crossed the asphalt parallel runway. The airplane then contacted a small tree on the right wing that spun the airplane around. The left wing then contacted the ground and bent the last three ft of the wing tip up. The pilot stated there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane at the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the left-wing tip was bent up from contact with the ground. The wing spar was bent, and the nose landing gear was fractured off. The single-engine, high-wing airplane was built in 1988, and equipped with a Pratt and Whitney PT6, 675 horsepower engine. The most recent 100-hour inspection was completed on September 5, 2019. At the time of accident, the airframe total time was 18,426.0 hours. The engine total time was 18,240.7 hours. The airplane flew 22.6 hours since the last 100-hour inspection. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate, with ratings for airplane single-engine land, and airplane multi-engine land. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and airplane multi-engine. His most recent FAA second class medical certificate was issued on June 4, 2019. He reported 3,837 total hours of flight experience at the time of the accident. A total of 400 hours were in this make and model. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N895SF](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N895SF), registered now, S/N 208B0095, built 1988 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 208 (B) - Registry model: [Cessna 208B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-208b) (registry code 2073701) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney PT6A series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (registry code 52034, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 208B0095 - Year built: 1988 - Airframe hours: 18426 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney PT6A SERIES 675 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Skydiving, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, September 5, 2019, 23 hours before - Departed: 26MA, Pepperell, MA - Destination: 26MA, Pepperell, MA - Airport: 26MA, Pepperell, runway 24, 2,820 × 25 ft, grass/turf - Equipment: Onboard weather, Auto-pilot, Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 66; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 1, 2018; seat: left; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 3,837 total, 400 in this make and model, 3,741 as pilot in command, 136 in the last 90 days, 49 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 48 °F - Altimeter: 30.20 inHg - Observed at: KASH, 5 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20190920014529A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190920014529A), Sep 20, 2019: Cessna 208B, Pepperell, MA, Substantial damage. On September 20, 2019 at approximately 16:30 UTC. N895SF, a Cessna 208B, while on short final to the grass runway, runway 24 at Pepperell, MA (26MA), the… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 24, 2019, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=100315. 5.8 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Pilot (item 1, .PDF, 3.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40477043&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1%20-%20Pilot-Master.PDF - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Owner (item 2, .PDF, 704 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40477044&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1%20-%20Owner-Master.PDF - FAA Inspector's Statement (item 3, .PDF, 12 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40477045&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%27s%20Statement-Master.PDF - Investigative Photos (item 4, .PDF, 3 photos, 1.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40477046&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Investigative%20Photos-Master.PDF - Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot (item 5, .PDF, 53 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40477047&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memorandum%20for%20Record%20-%20Telephone%20Interview,%20Pilot-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.