Pacific Aerospace CORP LTD 750XL accident near Raeford, North Carolina, December 3, 2015
On December 3, 2015 at about 4:20 pm local time, a 2005 Pacific Aerospace CORP LTD 750XL, registered N216PK, was substantially damaged in an accident during emergency descent near Raeford, North Carolina (P K Airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to obtain the proper touchdown point and speed during a precautionary landing with the engine shut down. Contributing to the accident was an erroneous engine torque indication, which led the pilot to shut the engine down, for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident testing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 2015 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Raeford, North Carolina · P K Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pacific Aerospace CORP LTD 750XL NO SERIES, built 2005 · all 750XLs on the register
- Registration
- N216PK · registry record · serial 114
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot of the single-engine turboprop airplane reported that he was preparing to release skydivers when he noticed that the engine torque indication was in the red arc. Specifically, the gauge was indicating a torque of 70 pounds per square inch (psi) when it should have been indicating about 25 psi; the maximum allowed torque indication was 64.5 psi. The skydivers jumped uneventfully. As the pilot was returning to the airport, the torque gauge was indicating 80 psi while the engine was at idle. At that time, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary engine shutdown and land with no engine power. During the landing, the airplane was fast and touched down about halfway down the 3,402-ft-long asphalt runway. The pilot applied heavy braking, but the airplane traveled about 1,000 ft beyond the departure end of the runway before coming to rest upright in a field with a collapsed left main landing gear. Two examinations of the engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies or evidence of overtorque. A test of the torque-indicating transducer and gauge also did not reveal any anomalies. The examinations did reveal that an automotive-type wiring bundle was used to wire the torque transducer to the airplane's electrical system. Although it is possible that the wiring bundle could have caused an intermittent faulty torque indication, subsequent testing was unable to duplicate the problem. The airplane was manufactured about 10 years before the accident, and the torque meter manufacturer upgraded the wiring connectors about 4 years before the accident.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise)
- Engine shutdown during enroute (cruise)
- Landing area overshoot during emergency descent defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 379 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 309 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,213 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 5, 2015; 107 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,500 lb
- Seats: 18
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 (turboprop); 4,213 hours total
- Operator: Paraclete Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 5W4 Raeford NC at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 5W4 Raeford NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 3,402 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 4:18 pm from POB, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.