Cessna 402B accident near Omaha, Nebraska, September 22, 2009
On September 22, 2009 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N1048, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Omaha, Nebraska (Eppley Airfield). It was flown 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper decision to taxi with an obstructed windscreen and his failure to maintain clearance from the parked airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2009 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Omaha, Nebraska · Eppley Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1048 · no longer on the register · serial 402B0628
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot arrived for the morning cargo flight with the twin-engine airplane parked directly into the sun and condensation on the windscreen. Using his hand, the pilot attempted to clear the condensation from the windscreen only to have it reappear. The pilot elected to start taxiing with the left crew door open to aid his visibility; however, while executing a left turn onto the cargo ramp the airplane's left wing and left propeller impacted an unattended airplane. Once both engines were secured, the pilot was able to exit the airplane unassisted. An examination following the accident revealed that the parked airplane sustained structural damage to the forward nose area, and the taxiing airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing.
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
- Aircraft servicing event during prior to flight
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Aircraft › Response/compensation
- Environmental issues › Task environment › Physical workspace › Visibility › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,907 hours in all; 448 in this make and model; 297 in the last 90 days; 94 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 958 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,444 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 9, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Daedalus INC DBA
The flight
- Departed from: OMA Omaha NE
- Destination: FSD Sioux Falls SD
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from OMA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.