Cessna 208B incident near Kasigluk, Alaska, October 20, 1997
On October 20, 1997 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N9304F, was involved in an incident near Kasigluk, Alaska (Kasigluk airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate inspection of the aileron by company maintenance personnel, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aileron, which led to the jamming of the left aileron due to loose balance weight retaining screws.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 1997 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kasigluk, Alaska · Kasigluk · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9304F · registry record · serial 20800008
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was entering a left downwind for landing at a remote airport. The wind conditions were 25 knots with gusts to 35 knots. During the turn, the pilot utilized full aileron deflection, and noticed the aileron momentarily jammed. He was able to force the control wheel to the right, unjamming the aileron. After landing, the pilot began to taxi to the ramp. Due to a strong crosswind, the pilot deflected the ailerons fully to the left. The aileron once again jammed, and the pilot was unable to force the control wheel to the right. The airplane's ailerons utilize balance weights that are attached to the interior surface of the leading edge of the aileron. Five screws are inserted through the leading edge skin of the aileron, through the balance weight, and into self-locking nuts attached to a nut strip assembly. Company maintenance personnel reported 1 screw was missing. Three of the remaining 4 screws were loose, and backed out sufficient distance to contact the trailing edge of the wing, forward of the aileron. The left aileron was jammed in a full, leading edge down, position. The Cessna 208B pilot information manual details a preflight inspection that includes an examination of the ailerons as part of a walk-around inspection of the airplane. In addition, the balance weights should be inspected during every 100-hour inspection. A review of the manufacturer's service condition report data base, and the Federal Aviation Administration malfunction and defect report system did not reveal any other reported incidents of aileron jamming.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,800 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 5,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,638 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 25, 1997; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Peninsula Airways INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 12:30 pm
- Destination: Z09
- Runway 35, 1,950 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC98IA004.