- Date
- June 5, 2016, 06:30 local (11:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Dodge, IA
- Injuries
- 9 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Prior to flight
- Aircraft
- N750ZCessna 208
- Defining event
- Prior to flight: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160605008589A
- Case key
- 93374
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight crew's failure to install the tail stand prior to passenger boarding, which resulted in a tail strike.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot in command reported that during the loading of the seventh and final passenger, the airplane tipped onto its tail and impacted the ramp surface. He further reported that the tail stand was not installed and neither he nor the co-pilot noticed the omission before passenger loading began. According to the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/ Incident report form 6120.1 submitted by the operator; after a review of pictures sent to company maintenance, no "major damage" was visually identified, the airplane was released for service, and the flight crew completed the revenue flight. After the airplane reached a company domicile, the airplane was "grounded" after a further visual inspection revealed substantial damage to the aft bulkhead. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot in command reported that during the loading of the seventh and final passenger, the airplane tipped onto its tail and impacted the ramp surface. He further reported that the tail stand was not installed and neither he nor the co-pilot noticed the omission before passenger loading began. According to the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/ Incident report form 6120.1 submitted by the operator; after a review of pictures sent to company maintenance, no "major damage" was visually identified, the airplane was released for service, and the flight crew completed the revenue flight. After the airplane reached a company domicile, the airplane was "grounded" after a further visual inspection revealed substantial damage to the aft bulkhead. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N750Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 208 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 208B1054
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 6,950.9
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A, 675 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Multi Aero Inc., doing business as Air Choice One
- Registered owner
- Multi Aero Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · June 1, 2016
- Departed
- FOD · Fort Dodge, IA
- Destination
- STL · St Louis, MO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FOD · Fort Dodge Rgnl
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Auto-pilot
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 18, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 6,078 total · 766 in this make and model · 4,578 as pilot in command · 290 in the last 90 days · 91 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 21, 2016
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 809 total · 118 in this make and model · 601 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 97 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KFOD
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 15, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.