Construcciones Aeronauticas SA CASA-212 accident near Toksook Bay, Alaska, November 2, 2008
On November 2, 2008 at about 3:02 am local time, a Construcciones Aeronauticas SA CASA-212, registered N437RA, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Toksook Bay, Alaska (Toksook Bay Airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew’s inability to adjust/increase power to the right engine during the landing approach due to an in-flight disconnect of the engine power control linkage, resulting in a loss of control of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew’s delayed response in feathering the right engine propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 2008 · about 3:02 am local time
- Place
- Toksook Bay, Alaska · Toksook Bay Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Construcciones Aeronauticas SA CASA-212 · all CASA-212s on the register
- Registration
- N437RA · registry record · serial 166
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the captain, as the first officer turned the twin-engine turboprop airplane from base leg to final, she advanced the engine power levers to increase engine power, but the right engine did not respond and the airplane yawed to the right. About 500 feet above the ground, the captain said that he took control and initiated a go-around by adding full engine power. As power was increased, the yaw intensified, and the captain said he was unable to maintain altitude. As he called for the first officer to feather the right engine, the stall warning horn sounded and he had to use both hands to maintain control of the airplane. The airplane continued to descend, struck the tundra-covered terrain, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. The right engine propeller was not feathered at impact. A postaccident inspection revealed that the linkage connecting the cockpit-mounted engine power lever to the right engine propeller pitch control (PPC) was disconnected, and the bolt connecting the linkage to the PPC was missing. Company management reported that the right engine had been changed 237.2 flight hours before the accident, which required the removal and reinstallation of the PPC linkage. Additionally, the airplane had undergone a scheduled maintenance inspection event following the engine change, 114.3 hours before the accident, requiring a functional test of the torque on the bolt that attaches the linkage. The inspection is part of the operator’s approved airworthiness inspection program. Once the PPC linkage disconnected, the flight crew was unable to control the right engine’s thrust, making it difficult for them to maintain control of the airplane during the approach. Since the bolt that connects the PPC linkage to the splined shaft was not found, it is unknown if the bolt failed or if maintenance personnel failed to properly tighten/torque the bolt at installation.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Failure
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Flight crew
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Attain/maintain not possible
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller feather/reversing › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,849 hours in all; 3,455 in this make and model; 320 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 5,891 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 970 hours in all; 667 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,006 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 27, 2008; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 17,086 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arctic Transportation Services, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 9:22 pm
- Destination: OOK Toksook Bay AK
- Runway 16, 3,218 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from OOK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.