Cessna 208B accident near Barrow, Alaska, March 6, 2002
On March 6, 2002 at about 4:03 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N208TF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barrow, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into adverse weather conditions, and an inadvertent stall. Factors associated with the accident are fog, obscuration, and icing conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2002 · about 4:03 pm local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Barrow, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N208TF · registry record · serial 208B0529
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The air taxi pilot was flying four passengers and cargo to a remote camp and airstrip surrounded by principally flat, snow-covered tundra. He had difficulty locating the airstrip due to ice fog and reduced visibility, and initially flew over the top of the runway. A passenger saw the airstrip, and about the same time, the camp operator radioed the pilot that the airplane had just passed the camp. The pilot made a descent and an approach to the airstrip, but the airplane stalled and collided with terrain about 1/4 mile short of the runway. The camp operator noted that at the time of the accident there was ice fog in the area, and a portion of the runway was not visible due to the fog. He estimated the horizontal visibility to be about 3/4 of a mile. Postaccident inspection of the airplane disclosed approximately 1/2 inch of ice on the airplane's left lift strut and main landing gear leg. The pilot said after the accident that either a cabin door or cargo pod door may have opened during the approach. Postaccident inspection, and interviews with passengers, disclosed no evidence of an in-flight cargo or cabin door opening, and crush lines on the cargo pod door are consistent with the door being closed at impact.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 22,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 22, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,676 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 12, 2002; 58.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,062 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tatonduk Outfitters LTD
The flight
- Departed from: PASC Deadhorse AK at 3:09 pm
- Destination: Barrow AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N208TF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N208TF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 208 Caravan 1,019 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114A 2,217 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Deadhorse Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N208TF 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC02FA020.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.