Cessna 208B accident near Statesboro, Georgia, September 26, 2012
On September 26, 2012 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N127AR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Statesboro, Georgia (Statesboro-Bulloch County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2012 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Statesboro, Georgia · Statesboro-Bulloch County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N127AR · registry record · serial 208B1055
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to complete recurrent training in the airplane. While on the downwind leg for a landing on runway 5, the flight instructor configured the airplane for a simulated engine failure maneuver. The pilot said he told the instructor that the airplane was too high for a landing on runway 5, so they agreed that he would land on runway 32.The pilot said that as he turned the airplane onto the final leg for runway 32, the airplane overshot the centerline and it began to descend about 200 feet per minute. About 150 feet above ground level, the pilot added power, but the airplane continued to descend and the left main gear and left wing tip impacted the runway and the airplane bounced. The pilot added full power and executed a go-around. The pilot said that during the go-around he noticed that the left outboard wing was bent and an observer in the back of the airplane reported that the left main landing gear was bent. The pilot said he flew the airplane around the pattern, and after the airplane landed, he noted it was difficult to steer the airplane and the airplane veered off the runway and came to rest in a grassy area. During the hard landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 1,025 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 7,403 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 27, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,100 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,310 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 6, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 8,200 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dst, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SAV Savannah GA at 1:05 pm
- Destination: TBR Statesboro GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 25 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from TBR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.