Cessna 208B accident near Maiden, North Carolina, January 9, 1998
On January 9, 1998 at about 10:04 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N913FE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Maiden, North Carolina (Little Mountain Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to remove the control lock prior to takeoff and his failure to abort the takeoff when he was unable to initiate a climb, resulting in the aircraft over running the runway and colliding with trees on the departure end of the runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to arrive at his destination to attend a family affair.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 1998 · about 10:04 pm local time
- Place
- Maiden, North Carolina · Little Mountain Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N913FE · no longer on the register · serial 208B00013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was reported to be in a hurry as he positioned two aircraft and picked up the accident aircraft for his final positioning leg. He told company personnel he had a birthday party to go to and his family confirmed this. The pilot reported to company personnel that he was departing on runway 3 and that he would report in on his arrival at the destination. No further contacts with the flight were made and the wreckage of the aircraft was discovered off the end of the departure runway about 40 minutes after his reported takeoff. Examination showed the aircraft had run off the left side of the runway about 800 feet from the end and then crossed over the runway and entered into the woods at the departure end of the runway. Postcrash examination showed no evidence of precrash failure or malfunction of the aircraft structure, flight controls, or engine. The onboard engine computer showed the engine was producing normal engine power and the aircraft was traveling at 98 knots when electrical power was lost as it collided with trees. The aircraft's control lock was found tangled in the instrument panel near the left control yoke where it is normally installed and the lock had multiple abnormal bends, including a 90 degree bend in the last 1/2 inch of the lock where it engages the control column. Removal of the control lock and checking the flight controls for freedom is on the normal pilots checklist. The pilot was also found to not be wearing his shoulder harness.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,030 hours in all; 860 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 3,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,183 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 7, 1998; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mountain Air Cargo, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 66A at 10:04 pm
- Destination: GSO Greensboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from CLT, 24 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.