- Date
- January 29, 1990, 20:33 local (Jan 30, 1990, 01:33 UTC)
- Place
- Schuyler Falls, NY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N854FECessna 208B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900129001249A
- Case key
- 36523
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
Loss of control inflight after the airplane stalled during climbout. The stall resulted from a loss of lift due to a contaminated wing surface. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot to de-ice the aircraft prior to departure.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The Cessna 208B made a takeoff with light wet snow falling, at night. The airplane reached an altitude of 700 ft AGL prior to making a steep descent, striking trees and impacting inverted. Radar data showed the aircraft lift off point and initial climb rate approached that shown in the flight manual for short field technique. Two other Cessna 208'S preceded the accident aircraft from the same airport, one 13 minutes prior and the other 3 minutes prior. Radar data showed they climbed at a slower rate. The accident airplane had come from a hangar and was not deiced prior to departure. A pilot flying a identical airplane with a similar load commented that his climb rate was lower than normal. Another pilot commented that this was the first wet snow of the year and it was sticking to his engine cowling.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N854FE
- Reported as
- Cessna 208B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 208B0172
- Airframe hours
- 390
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-114, 600 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- E.W. Wiggins Airways, Inc., doing business as Wiggins Airways
- Registered owner
- Federal Express Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 21, 1989 · 91 hours before
- Departed
- PLB · Plattsburgh, NY
- Destination
- SYR · Syracuse, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PLB · Clinton County, runway 19, 5,000 × 100 ft
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,999 total · 1,482 in this make and model · 4,823 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PLB, 2 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.