Cessna 208B accident near Lewiston, Maine, December 21, 2001
On December 21, 2001 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N207TA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lewiston, Maine (Auburn Lewiston Municipal Airp airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to adequately ensure the wings were free of contamination prior to departure. Factors included the operator's inadequate de-icing procedures and the snowy weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2001 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Maine · Auburn Lewiston Municipal Airp · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N207TA · registry record · serial 0371
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Snow fell as the pilot cleared the airplane using a ladder and broom. A pre-takeoff contamination check was also conducted from the cockpit before the airplane taxied onto the snow-covered runway. Once on the runway, the pilot back-taxied its full length and deployed a 10-degree flap setting for departure. The pilot began the takeoff roll and rotated the airplane when it reached 90 knots. The main wheels lifted off momentarily, then settled back on the runway. The takeoff was aborted, but the airplane overran the runway departure end of the runway and collided with the localizer antenna. A post-accident review of the company operations manual by the operator and the Federal Aviation Administration resulted in more stringent de-icing requirements for the flight crews and the addition of takeoff performance planning, as well as aborted takeoff criteria considerations for operations on contaminated runways. Included in the new de-icing procedures was the mandatory use of de-icing fluid prior to taxi in freezing precipitation with outside air temperatures between plus 2 and minus 4 degrees Celsius.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,029 hours in all; 749 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 1,950 as pilot in command; 1,105 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,234.5 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 5, 2001; 80.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LEW Lewiston ME at 1:00 am
- Destination: MHT Manchester NH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 04, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1.8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.54 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from LEW
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.