Cessna 208B incident near Auburn, Alabama, February 3, 2004
On February 3, 2004 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N125AR, was involved in an incident near Auburn, Alabama (Auburn - Opelika airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue fracture of the wire rope portion on the rudder control cable assembly due to improper installation and inadequate procedures by the aircraft manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 2004 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Auburn, Alabama · Auburn - Opelika · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N125AR · registry record · serial 2080925
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight crew, during the takeoff roll the co-pilot noticed that the right rudder and trim controls were not responding. During the flight they began to diagnose the problem. The pilot continued the flight and made an uneventfully landing. During the post-landing examination of the airplane, the right rudder cable was found broken. Examination of the rudder cable by the NTSB Materials Laboratory found that the wire rope portion of the cable was fractured just inside the clevis fitting at the forward end of the cable. The fracture of the wire rope portion on the control cable assembly was the result of fatigue cracking that initiated because of the introduction of bending loads due to the over-torque of the clevis bolt during the manufacturing process.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 16, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 950 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,547 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 12, 2003; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rushton Air
The flight
- Departed from: CSG Columbus GA at 7:40 pm
- Destination: AUO Auburn AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from AUO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.