Cessna 208B accident near Waterville, Maine, January 25, 2002
On January 25, 2002, a Cessna 208B, registered N8RQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waterville, Maine (Waterville Robert Lafleur airport). It was flown 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 improper decision to attempt a takeoff from a snow-covered runway with a quartering tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2002
- Place
- Waterville, Maine · Waterville Robert Lafleur · map
- 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
- N8RQ · no longer on the register · serial 0363
- 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 attempted a takeoff from the snow-covered runway. The reported wind was 130 degrees from the right at 16, gusting to 24 knots. The pilot selected the runway, in part, because of a 1.2 percent downslope. The pilot rotated the nose of the airplane at 80 knots, and the airplane "pulled" to the left. The pilot lowered the nose and reduced power, but the airplane continued to "slide" to the left, off the runway, and into 6 to 8 inches of snow. It then nosed over, and came to rest inverted.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,230 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 3,107 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 3, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,151.1 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 28, 2001; 38.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WVL Waterville ME
- Destination: MAN Manchester NH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 16 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 0.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.54 inHg
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.