Cessna 208A accident near Fairfield, California, October 23, 1987
On October 23, 1987 at about 11:23 am local time, a Cessna 208A, registered N828FE, was destroyed in an accident near Fairfield, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT'S ENCOUNTER WITH SEVERE TURBULENCE WHICH PRECIPITATED A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1987 · about 11:23 am local time
- Place
- Fairfield, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208A · all 208As on the register
- Registration
- N828FE · registry record · serial 20800073
- 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
WHILE CRUISING ON A SCHEDULED CARGO FLIGHT IN IMC THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE NEAR AN AREA WHERE WEATHER CELLS COULD HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ON THE AIRCRAFT'S RADAR. THE PILOT REVERSED COURSE, DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT, COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AND WAS DESTROYED.THE RECENTLY HIRED PILOT HAD COMPLETED THE FAA APPROVED GROUND AND FLIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE AIRCRAFT. DURING THE PILOT'S RECENT TRAINING, NEITHER THE FAA NOR THE OPERATOR REQUIRED THE PILOT TO DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE RECOVERIES OR HAVE KNOWLEDGE IN THE OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT'S WEATHER RADAR. COMPANY EMPLOYEES, WHICH INCLUDED THE PILOT'S HUSBAND, STATED THAT THE PILOT HAD NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH WEATHER RADAR AND DID NOT UNDERSTANDTHE WEATHER RADAR INSTALLED IN THIS AIRCRAFT. THEY FURTHER STATED THAT THE PILOT APPEARED TO BE TIRED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,495 hours in all; 642 in this make and model; 156 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 10,291 as pilot in command; 704 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,721 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 12, 1987; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OAK Oakland CA at 10:58 am
- Destination: RNO Reno NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from SUU, 4 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.