Cessna 208 accident near Ellington, Connecticut, April 7, 2024
On April 7, 2024 at about 2:25 pm local time, a 1985 Cessna 208, registered N90JF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Ellington, Connecticut (Ellington 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 maintain a proper glidepath to the runway, which resulted in a runway undershoot and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2024 · about 2:25 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Ellington, Connecticut · Ellington Airport · 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 208, built 1985 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N90JF · registry record · serial 20800005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was returning to the airport after releasing five skydivers. During short final approach to the 1,800-ft-long runway, in a gusty headwind, the airplane touched down just prior to the runway and the landing gear struck an embankment. The nosegear separated and the airplane skid onto and off the right side of the runway. It subsequently came to rest upright in a grass area off the right side of the runway. Examination of the wreckage revealed substantial damage to the lower and right fuselage. The examination did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, nor did the pilot report any.
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 area undershoot during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter; rotorcraft: unmanned (suas)
- Flight time: 865 hours in all; 204 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 632 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 13, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-114A (turboprop); 8,056 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 1,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 am from BDL, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KBDL 071451Z 02013G20KT 10SM BKN039 OVC045 08/M03 A3005
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Aft View of Main Wreckage
Photograph 2 – Right Side View of Main Wreckage
Photograph 3 – Right Side Fuselage Damage
Photograph 4 – Lower Fuselage DamageThe 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
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 21, 2024. 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 and Passenger Written Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for the Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | 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 N90JF 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
- N90JF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 208 Caravan 1,018 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-114A 250 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ellington Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Connecticut 522 since 1982 · 68 in the last ten years
- Connecticut 1,612 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N90JF 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/ERA24LA168.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.