Cessna 208B accident near Russian Mission, Alaska, January 30, 2003
On January 30, 2003 at about 7:30 am local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N1276P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Russian Mission, Alaska (Russian Mission airport). 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 failure of the pilot to use a tail stand while loading passengers, which resulted in the airplane's tail impacting the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2003 · about 7:30 am local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Russian Mission, Alaska · Russian Mission · cases near this airport · 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
- N1276P · no longer on the register · serial 208B0852
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot did not place the tail stand under the tail of the airplane while loading a medical patient, and the airplane went down on its tail tie down ring, damaging the tail structure. A mechanic for the operator said the FS 427.88 bulkhead and tail tie down assembly were replaced due to the damage.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,800 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 8,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 27, 2002; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9AK2 Russian Mission AK
- Destination: BET Bethel AK
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N1276P 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
- N1276P: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 208 Caravan 1,017 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A 250 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kako Airport · nearest airport
- Bethel Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,146 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N1276P 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/ANC03LA030.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.