Cessna 208B accident near Raeford, North Carolina, August 18, 2012
On August 18, 2012 at about 7:47 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N80GE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Raeford, North Carolina (P K Airpark airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 pilot's decision to land in a grassy area next to a paved runway, which resulted in impact with a ditch and subsequent nose landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2012 · about 7:47 pm local time
- Place
- Raeford, North Carolina · P K Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N80GE · registry record · serial 208B0585
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during the landing on a grassy area that was parallel to the paved runway, the airplane touched down and impacted a ditch near an intersecting taxiway. The airplane became airborne, touched down on the other side of the intersecting taxiway, bounced again, and then landed hard on the nose gear, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and subsequent collapse of the nose landing gear. In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that the ditch was about 200 feet from his initial touchdown point and that he regularly lands on the grass, in the opposite direction, in order to minimize the wear on the main landing gear tires. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Abnormal runway contact during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail gear attach section › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,342 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 1,191 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 20, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 770 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command; 550 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 27, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,965 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 2012; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,097 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SOP Southernpines NC at 7:25 pm
- Destination: 5W4 Raeford NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 3,402 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from POB, 12 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N80GE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.