Cessna 208B accident near Suffolk, Virginia, July 3, 2023
On July 3, 2023 at about 5:50 pm local time, a 1999 Cessna 208B, registered N716MM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Suffolk, Virginia (Suffolk Exec 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 inadequate landing flare, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2023 · about 5:50 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Suffolk, Virginia · Suffolk Exec · 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 208B, built 1999 · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N716MM · registry record · serial 208B0746
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was returning from her fifth skydive run of the day. During the landing, “the flare seemed insufficient” and the nose landing gear collapsed during touchdown. The airplane continued off the side of the runway and came to rest in the grass. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts. The operator 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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,693 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 859 as pilot in command; 231 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 8, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,519 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 22, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 9,062 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-12JR (turboprop); 1,079 hours total
- Operator: Arne Aviation LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,750 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from SFQ
Weather report (METAR): 031755Z AUTO 25006KT 10SM SCT046 SCT055 35/22 A2993 RMK AO2 T03470223 10349 20272
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 31, 2023. 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 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 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.
Other NTSB records under N716MM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N716MM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 208 Caravan 1,017 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-12JR 15 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Suffolk Executive · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,972 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N716MM 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA23LA292.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.