Cessna 208B accident near Lubbock, Texas, January 18, 1995
On January 18, 1995 at about 3:03 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N9461R, was destroyed in an accident near Lubbock, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO REMOVE ICE FROM THE AIRFRAME PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. FACTORS WERE FREEZING RAIN THE NIGHT BEFORE AND THE PILOTS' INCOMPLETE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1995 · about 3:03 pm local time
- Place
- Lubbock, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9461R · registry record · serial 20880076
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, FREEZING RAIN FOLLOWED LATER BY SNOW, FELL ON THE RAMP WHERE THE AIRPLANE WAS PARKED. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT WHILE ASSISTING THE PILOT IN REMOVING SNOW FROM THE AIRPLANE, HE NOTED THAT 80% OF THE WING WAS COVERED WITH A COARSE LAYER OF ICE, FROM 1/16 TO 3/16 IN THICKNESS, THAT WAS NOT REMOVED BEFORE FLIGHT. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, A FIREMAN FROM THE CITY OF LUBBOCK FIRE DEPARTMENT NOTED ICE ON THE WING APPROXIMATELY 1/16TH OF AN INCH THICK THAT HAD A ROUGH TEXTURE THAT LOOKED AS IF DEPOSITED BY FREEZING RAIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKE OFF SHE HEARD A POWER DECREASE AND FELT SURGES IN THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT THEN LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO LAND. A DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVELED NO MECHANICAL DEFICIENCIES.
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
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, 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: 2,542 hours in all; 514 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 2,307 as pilot in command; 912 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,984 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 5, 1994; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Martinaire,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: LBB TX at 3:01 pm
- Destination: MAF Midland TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,200 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from LBB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.