Cessna 208 accident near Pepperell, Massachusetts, September 20, 2019
On September 20, 2019 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1988 Cessna 208, registered N895SF, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Pepperell, Massachusetts (Pepperell 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control when the airplane encountered a downdraft during landing approach, which resulted in a subsequent hard landing and gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2019 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pepperell, Massachusetts · Pepperell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 B, built 1988 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N895SF · registry record · serial 208B0095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot, 10 skydivers, and 1 passenger departed on a skydiving flight. After the skydivers jumped, the pilot and passenger returned to the airport to land. The pilot stated that, during the landing, he encountered a sudden downdraft and the airplane dropped out of the air from about 10 to 15 ft above the runway. The airplane landed hard and the nose landing gear collapsed; the airplane slid to the right side of the runway, crossed the parallel runway, and impacted a tree. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing was bent up about 3 ft from the wing tip and the nose landing gear was fracture-separated. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain airplane control during the landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
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
- Other weather encounter during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,837 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 136 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 3,741 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,426 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 5, 2019; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,752 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A SERIES (turboprop); 18,241 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 26MA Pepperell MA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: 26MA Pepperell MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,820 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from KASH, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA19TA278.