Cessna 208 accident near Aurora, Minnesota, September 27, 2001
On September 27, 2001 at about 2:46 pm local time, a Cessna 208, registered N12712, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aurora, Minnesota. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining the proper descent rate during the landing. Factors were the flap's popped circuit breaker, the pilot not verifying the flap's position, the glassy water, and the dock.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2001 · about 2:46 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N12712 · no longer on the register · serial 20800308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The floatplane sustained substantial damage on impact with water and a dock. The pilot and six passengers were uninjured. The pilot stated, "Once I cleared the [obstacles] I put the ignition on, prop full, fuel on both, flaps 20 [degrees] and checked gear up, powered back to get a good rate of descent over [obstacles] so I would not eat up the length of the lake positioning to land. (smooth surface) I came off the prop (as a brake) and began my round out higher than normal as I could feel an unusually high descent rate. In a matter seconds I could tell something was wrong as I rounded out and needed more bank angle to increase my turn rate. As I flared the plane continued to descend and the left float hit the water before I was ready and it hooked the plane immediately left about 45 [degrees] and then the rt float caught and began to slide sideways until we came to rest with the plane's tail up on the shore 90 [degrees] to the lake. ... After a while of sitting there I realized the flaps never came down when I put the handle down. The c/b [circuit breaker] was popped out." A witness stated, "Just as here cleared the shoreline, the plane started to drop and bank hard to the left (or south). For a short time I could not see the plane as it was blocked by the trees on the west bank. When it came back into view it was heading south and practically on the water. It seemed to come up short on the turn, kind of bounced a pontoon off the water or a dock causing the plane to rock. When it rocked back to the left it appeared to hook or dip the left wing into the water or maybe a rock point causing the plane to spin to the left and sideways. It hit the middle dock, which probably slowed it down and came to rest facing back to the east, resting in shallow water leaning to the right, propped up by the right wing." The airplane manual stated, "A standby system can be used to operate the flaps in the event the primary system should malfunction."
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,535 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 4,845 as pilot in command; 1,006 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 6, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 429 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2001; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,360 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Minnetonka MN at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Aurora MN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 2:33 pm from EVM, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.