Cessna 208 accident near Tuzantan, Mx, May 15, 2018
On May 15, 2018 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 208, registered UNKNOWN, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Tuzantan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 3 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2018 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tuzantan, Mx
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 UNDESIGNAT · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- UNKNOWN · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 15, 2018, about 1300 coordinated universal time, a Cessna 208 airplane, N149CD, crashed in jungle terrain under unknown circumstances near Tuzantan, Mexico. The three occupants were fatally injured. The flight departure and destination were unknown. The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC). This report is for informational purposes only and contains information released by or obtained from the government of the Mexico. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes Boulevard Adolfo López Mateos No. 1990, piso 4 Colonia Los Alpes, Tlacopac Delegación Álvaro Obregón Codigo Postal 01010 Ciudad de México México Telephone: (55) 5011-6413 E-mail: cidaiac@sct.gob.mx Website: http://www.sct.gob.mx/transporte-y-medicina-preventiva/aeronautica-civil/inicio/
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 8,001 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under UNKNOWN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CEN18WA188.