Cessna 208 accident near Fort Dodge, Iowa, June 5, 2016
On June 5, 2016 at about 11:30 am local time, a 2004 Cessna 208, registered N750Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Fort Dodge, Iowa (Fort Dodge Rgnl airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's failure to install the tail stand prior to passenger boarding, which resulted in a tail strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 2016 · about 11:30 am local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Fort Dodge, Iowa · Fort Dodge Rgnl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 B, built 2004 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N750Z · registry record · serial 208B1054
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in command reported that during the loading of the seventh and final passenger, the airplane tipped onto its tail and impacted the ramp surface. He further reported that the tail stand was not installed and neither he nor the co-pilot noticed the omission before passenger loading began. According to the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/ Incident report form 6120.1 submitted by the operator; after a review of pictures sent to company maintenance, no "major damage" was visually identified, the airplane was released for service, and the flight crew completed the revenue flight. After the airplane reached a company domicile, the airplane was "grounded" after a further visual inspection revealed substantial damage to the aft bulkhead. The pilot did not report any 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
- Ground handling event during prior to flight defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Flight crew
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Loading › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › (general) › Not inspected other cases naming the airframe structure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,078 hours in all; 766 in this make and model; 290 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 4,578 as pilot in command; 3,385 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 18, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 809 hours in all; 118 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days; 97 in the last 30 days; 601 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 21, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,950.9 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 1, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 9,062 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A (turboprop); 6,951 hours total
- Operator: Multi Aero INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FOD Fort Dodge IA at 11:30 am
- Destination: STL St Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 am from KFOD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 15, 2016. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Captain Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation (Manager Regulatory Affairs Air Choice One) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N750Z 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: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A 250 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Fort Dodge Regional · nearest airport
- St. Louis Lambert International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Iowa 871 since 1982 · 131 in the last ten years
- Iowa 4,510 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA16CA308.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.