Raytheon Aircraft Company B300 accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 4, 2008
On April 4, 2008 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company B300, registered N900WP, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Tuscaloosa Regional Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 encounter with severe turbulence during descent into the airport environment, which resulted in an exceedence of the aircraft's design stress limit and structural damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2008 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Tuscaloosa Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company B300
- Registration
- N900WP · no longer on the register · serial FL-496
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane entered the vicinity of the destination airport, the pilot observed a 200- to 300-foot-thick cloud ahead that looked as though it was precipitating virga. He noted that the base was about 500 feet above the airplane's altitude and appeared very dark. As the airplane passed under the dark cloud, at about 3,000 feet mean sea level, the flight immediately encountered a violent and rapid turbulence event. During the turbulence episode the airplane descended several hundred feet, but the pilot was able to maintain control. The pilot performed an uneventful landing and no damage was noted during the preflight inspection for the subsequent flight. Damage was noted during a later preflight inspection 4 days after the upset. An engineer from the airplane's manufacturer completed an evaluation of the damage incurred during the upset. He stated that the damage sustained by the left wing structure is indicative that the airplane experienced loads in excess of its design limits. A review of weather radar data indicated that a squall line was close to the airplane's location at the time of the upset. According to an analysis done by the Safety Board's meteorology specialist, the airplane most likely flew under either a "roll cloud" or a "shelf cloud." Although no exact magnitudes of shear velocities associated with roll or shelf clouds encountered could be determined, severe or extreme turbulence should always be expected in vicinity of these cloud types. In addition, the radial velocity and spectrum width data showed signatures of potential severe or extreme turbulence in the area where the airplane likely encountered the phenomena.
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
- Turbulence encounter during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,978 hours in all; 1,758 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,843 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 16, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,405 hours in all; 319 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,586 as pilot in command; 962 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 604 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 27, 2008; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 15,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Services Group
The flight
- Departed from: EET Alabaster AL at 7:30 pm
- Destination: TCL Tuscaloosa AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 25 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from TCL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N900WP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.