Cessna 650 incident near Rapid City, South Dakota, August 29, 2003
On August 29, 2003 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Cessna 650, registered N651EJ, was involved in an incident near Rapid City, South Dakota (Rapid City Regional airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight failure of the right wing aileron cable during cruise.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2003 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Rapid City, South Dakota · Rapid City Regional · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 650 · all 650s on the register
- Registration
- N651EJ · registry record · serial 650-0241
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Cessna 650 experienced a right wing aileron cable failure while in cruise flight at FL390 approximately 200 miles southeast of Rapid City, South Dakota. The pilot in command reported that with the autopilot engaged, the airplane started a gentle roll to the right. The autopilot was disengaged and a approximate 40 degree control wheel deflection to the left was made to keep the wings level. The right aileron did not seem to move with control wheel deflection. The right roll control spoiler did respond to control wheel inputs. All left control surfaces appeared to function normally. The pilots consulted all control malfunction checklists, and there were no changes noted. The pilots decided to continue to the destination. An uneventful, full-flap landing was made at Rapid City Municipal Airport. Maintenance personnel discovered a completely broken right outboard aileron cable. The right aileron cable (Part Number 6260106-25) underwent a metallurgical examination. The wire stands displayed sheared and cut ends due to pinching as if the cable came off its large diameter pulley and was pulled over a small radius and pinched. Only a few tensile cup cone fractures were found, indicating nearly all the wire strands had been sheared or cut prior to final tensile separation of the few remaining strands.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,500 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 14,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 27, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,984 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 13, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,705.7 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 25, 2003; 56.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 22,200 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Garrett TFE-731-3C (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett TFE-731-3C (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MWA` Marion IL at 8:00 pm
- Destination: RAP Rapid City SD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 8,701 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 030° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from RAP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.