Cessna 208B accident near San Angelo, Texas, January 24, 2003
On January 24, 2003 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N944FE, was destroyed in an accident near San Angelo, Texas (Ducote Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's failure to cycle the deice boots prior to conducting a simulated forced landing and their failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the maneuver, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent loss of control. A contributing factor was the ice accumulation on the leading edges of the airfoils.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 2003 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Angelo, Texas · Ducote Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N944FE · no longer on the register · serial 208B0044
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a dirt field and a power line following a loss of control during a simulated engine failure while on a Part 135 proficiency check flight. Both pilots were seriously injured and could not recall any details of the flight after the simulated engine failure. Witnesses observed the airplane flying on a westerly heading at an altitude of 100 to 200 feet, and descending. They heard the sound of an engine “surging” and observed the airplane’s wings bank left and right. The airplane continued to descend and impacted the ground and power lines before becoming inverted. A pilot-rated witness reported that he observed about ¼ inch of clear and rime ice on the airplane’s protected surfaces (deice boots) and about ½ inch of ice on the airplane’s unprotected surfaces. An NTSB performance study of the accident flight based on radar data indicated that the airplane entered a descent rate of 1,300 feet per minute (fpm) about 1,100 feet above the ground. This rate of descent was associated with a decrease in airspeed from 130 knots to 92 knots over a span of 30 seconds. The airplane’s rate of descent leveled off at the 1,300 fpm rate for 45 seconds before increasing to a 2,000 fpm descent rate. The true airspeed fluctuated between a low of 88 knots to 102 knots during the last 45 seconds of flight. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the clean, wing flaps up stall speed was 78 knots. However, after a light rime encounter, the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) instructed pilots to maintain additional airspeed (10 to 20 KIAS) on approach “to compensate for the increased pre-stall buffet associated with ice on the unprotected areas and the increased weight.” With flaps up, a minimum approach speed of 105 KIAS was recommended. The POH also stated that a significantly higher airspeed should be maintained if ½ inch of clear ice had accumulated on the wings.
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
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,356 hours in all
- Last flight review: March 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,884 hours in all
- Last flight review: January 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,503.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 1, 2003; 7,493 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Baron Aviation Services Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SJT San Angelo TX at 4:05 pm
- Destination: TS65 San Angelo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,700 ft by 30 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.43 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from SJT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.