Embraer EMB120 accident near Iliamna, Alaska, February 16, 2012
On February 16, 2012 at about 5:08 pm local time, a 1988 Embraer EMB120, registered N1110J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Iliamna, Alaska (Iliamna airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 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 maintenance personnel's failure to install the cotter pins that secured castellated nuts on the left elevator vertical hinge bolts, which resulted in the left elevator partially detaching in flight. Contributing to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to document the non-routine maintenance procedure that was used to remove and reinstall the elevator during maintenance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2012 · about 5:08 pm local time
- Place
- Iliamna, Alaska · Iliamna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB120 FC, built 1988 · all EMB120s on the register
- Registration
- N1110J · no longer on the register · serial 120.110
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On February 16, 2012, at about 1308 local time, Everts Air Cargo flight 1291, an Embraer EMB-120, N1110J, experienced an uncommanded pitch down while descending into Iliamna Airport (KILI), Iliamna, Alaska. There were no injuries to the 2 crewmembers onboard but the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 Supplemental as a cargo only flight from Anchorage, Alaska (KANC) to KILI. The Captain reported that the flight from KANC had been uneventful. The Captain reported that during the descent, while at about 250 knots airspeed with his hands on the controls and the autopilot engaged, the airplane pitched to about 20 degrees nose down. The captain reported he then disconnected the autopilot and adjusted the pitch trim while pulling back on the column to recover from the pitch excursion. The flight crew declared an emergency and slowed the airplane to about 200 knots. Approximately 5-10 miles from the airport, while in a slow left turn at 3000 feet msl altitude, the airplane pitched down a second time while the captain was hand flying. As he recovered from the pitch down, he was lined up for a 5 mile final approach for runway 35. The captain elected to make a high speed, flaps up landing and landed uneventfully on runway 35. Post-flight inspection revealed that the left elevator was bent at the mid span trim tab, had partially detached from the aircraft, and was missing two attachment bolts. A review of the airplane maintenance history showed that while in "A" check maintenance, a dent was noted in the left elevator and the elevator was removed. The maintenance team did not follow the EMB 120 maintenance manual procedure for removal of the left elevator. During the non-routine maintenance procedures used by the maintenance team, cotter pin safeties that were removed from castellated nuts on the 2 outboard vertical hinge bolts on the left elevator were not reinstalled. The removal of these two bolts is not part of the EMB 120 maintenance manual procedure for removal of the left elevator. The maintenance team did not document the non-routine procedure they used to remove and reinstall the left elevator. The Require Inspection Items (RII) inspector had inspected the elevator installation for the procedures in the manual and was not aware of the undocumented non-routine maintenance procedures used, and hence did not examine the nuts that did not have the required cotter pins, which were not to be removed as part of the approved procedure. The FAA found that the maintenance teams that removed and reinstalled the elevator were inexperienced in EMB 120 elevator removal and reinstallation procedures.
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
- Inflight upset during enroute (descent)
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Maintenance personnel
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Record › keeping › Aircraft/maintenance logs › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Repair › Maintenance personnel
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 26,433 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arctic One Llc
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK
- Destination: ILI Iliamna AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 4,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.