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Accidents · NTSB ERA26LA148 · Final report

Cessna 208 accident near North Canton, Ohio, March 13, 2026

On March 13, 2026 at about 5:55 pm local time, a 1988 Cessna 208, registered N9612B, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (into takeoff position) near North Canton, Ohio (Akron-Canton Rgnl airport). It was an instructional 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).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The flight instructor’s decision to conduct a training flight in strong, gusting crosswinds, which resulted in the airplane’s right wing impacting the ground during taxi.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
March 13, 2026 · about 5:55 pm local time · cases in 2026
Place
North Canton, Ohio · Akron-Canton Rgnl · cases near this airport · 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
N9612B · registry record · serial 208B0136
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot receiving instruction and the flight instructor had planned a flight to perform practice instrument approaches at two nearby airports, and due to the wind conditions, the flight instructor had planned that the approaches would terminate as low approaches before returning to the departure airport to land. The flight instructor reported that while taxiing onto the runway for departure, he felt the wind push the airplane, which began to skid. While being pushed in the skid, the left main landing gear was lifted and the right wing impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of surface weather observations for around the time of the accident showed that the wind velocity was about 31 knots, with gusts up to 48 knots. While on the taxiway, the airplane would have been experiencing a direct right crosswind changing to a right quartering headwind as the airplane turned onto the runway. The crosswind gusts the airplane likely experienced were more than twice the maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 20 knots listed in the airplane’s Pilot Operating Handbook. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the flight instructor stated that the operator should implement maximum wind gust speeds for training flights. Had such limitations been in place at the time of the accident, it is possible that they would have aided the flight instructor in detecting the hazard those extreme wind conditions represented.

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

  1. Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during taxi (into takeoff position) defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › High wind › Decision related to condition
  • Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot

Flight instructor

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 18,006 hours in all; 7,412 in this make and model; 86.6 in the last 90 days; 31.1 in the last 30 days; 17,882 as pilot in command
  • Last flight review: February 25, 2026
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

Pilot

  • Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 1,118.9 hours in all; 8.9 in this make and model; 121.7 in the last 90 days; 33.6 in the last 30 days; 754.6 as pilot in command; 536.2 on instruments
  • Last flight review: August 24, 2025
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 25,375.3 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 17, 2026; 73.7 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 9,062 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A (turboprop); 12,025 hours total
  • Operator: Castle Aviation

The flight

  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 23, 8,204 ft by 150 ft
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 230° at 31 knots, gusting 48
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
  • Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.49 inHg
  • Observation at 2:00 pm from CAK

Weather report (METAR): METAR KCAK 131751Z 23031G48KT 10SM FEW050 FEW090 11/M03 A2949 RMK AO2 PK WND 23048/1749 SLP993 T01111028 10117 20017 58038

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew2

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA26LA148.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.