Cessna 208A incident near Wright, Wyoming, March 6, 1990
On March 6, 1990 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 208A, registered N812FE, was involved in an incident near Wright, Wyoming. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 INCIDENT WAS ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO GAS PRODUCER TURBINE DISC BLADE FAILURE CAUSED BY STRESS RUPTURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1990 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Wright, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208A · all 208As on the register
- Registration
- N812FE · no longer on the register · serial 20800040
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CLIMB TO CRUISE THE ENGINE FAILED AND THE PILOT CONDUCTED AN EMERGENCY DESCENT TO A SUCCESSFUL LANDING ON A HIGHWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED NO DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE LANDING AND DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE INTERNAL PORTIONS OF THE ENGINE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ENGINE FAILED DUE TO STRESS RUPTURE OF GAS PRODUCER TURBINE DISC BLADES. THIS FAILURE IS DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEAT. WHEN THE OVERHEAT OCCURRED COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 8,400 as pilot in command; 2,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,757 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 14, 1990; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Corporate Air INC.
The flight
- Departed from: GCC Gillette WY at 1:30 am
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,800 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from GCC, 37 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.