Cessna 402 accident near Barnstable, Massachusetts, February 12, 2020
On February 12, 2020 at about 7:12 pm local time, a 1982 Cessna 402, registered N409BK, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Barnstable, Massachusetts (Barnstable Muni-Boardman/Polan airport). It was a positioning 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 properly secure the crew hatch door before takeoff, which resulted in the door’s forward hinge assembly tearing from its fuselage mount point.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 2020 · about 7:12 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Barnstable, Massachusetts · Barnstable Muni-Boardman/Polan · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402 C, built 1982 · all 402s on the register
- Registration
- N409BK · registry record · serial 402C0651
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the operator, during initial climb, the door warning light illuminated, and the crew hatch door opened. The door's forward hinge assembly was then torn from its fuselage mount point along with adjacent aircraft skin, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the door safety latch, warning system, and door latching mechanism worked properly. The operator reported that it was possible to latch the door with the forward pin in its proper anchor point and with the aft pin outside the airframe with the warning light extinguished. The operator further reported that, after the accident, this was covered in aircrew training and the company standard operating procedures.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › Flight compartment windows › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the airframe structure
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- 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: 10,786 hours in all; 2,752 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 9,215 as pilot in command; 2,661 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 28,493 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 15, 2020; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,210 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-520 SER (piston); 8,555 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-520 SER (piston); 12,101 hours total
- Operator: Hyannis Air Service Inc Dba
The flight
- Departed from: HYA Barnstable MA at 7:18 pm
- Destination: HYA Barnstable MA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24, 5,425 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 20 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from HYA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – View of Airplane after Recovery (Cape Air)
Photo 2 – Close-up View of Damaged Structure (Cape Air)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 7, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N409BK on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 402 174 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 SER 4,110 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 SER 4,110 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cape Cod Gateway Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,646 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA20CA100.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.