The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB MIA00WA249 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 208B accident near La Fortuna, Cs, August 26, 2000

On August 26, 2000 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N1357, was destroyed in an accident near La Fortuna. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. commercial rules. 10 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 26, 2000 · about 6:00 am local time
Place
La Fortuna, CS
Type
Accident
Injuries
10 people were killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
Registration
N1357 · registry record
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. commercial rules

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Not recorded
  • Operator: Sansa Aircraft

The flight

  • Destination: MRTM Tamarindo OF
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: not reported
  • Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
  • Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
  • Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
  • Observation at 12:00 pm from MRO

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew2
Passengers8

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.