Cessna 208B accident near Covington, Kentucky, December 20, 2003
On December 20, 2003 at about 11:18 am local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N9469B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Covington, Kentucky (Cincinnati\Northern Kentucky airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate pre-flight inspection, which resulted in a decrease in airplane performance due to ice, and a subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2003 · about 11:18 am local time
- Place
- Covington, Kentucky · Cincinnati\Northern Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9469B · registry record · serial 208B0079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the cargo flight reported that she arrived at the airplane at 0515 and performed a preflight inspection. The airplane was ready to depart about 0600 and she performed a final walk-around inspection prior to takeoff. The airplane had climbed to 300 to 400 feet above the runway, and was at an airspeed of about 120 knots, when it became "abnormally heavy on the flight controls," and "very unstable about its lateral axis (pitch control)." The pilot elected to reduce the throttle to idle and perform the rejected takeoff procedure. The airplane touched down in snow covered grass, about 85 feet approximately 85 feet off the left side of the runway. The airplane's landing gear collapsed, and the fuselage was buckled near the aft end of the cargo pod. Photographs taken by airport personnel shortly after the accident revealed areas of frost present on the wings and empennage. In addition, ice was observed on portions of the leading edges of the left and right wings. Examination of the airplane did not revealed any mechanical malfunctions. The Cessna 208B information manual, section 4, Normal Procedures, Cold Weather Operations, stated in part: "...Even small accumulations of frost, ice, or snow must be removed, particularly from wing, tail and all control surfaces to assure satisfactory flight performance and handling...." A weather observation taken at the departure airport about the time of the accident included a temperature and dew point of 16 degrees F.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,095 hours in all; 770 in this make and model; 265 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 19, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,429 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 15, 2003; 179 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT-6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CVG Covington KY at 12:20 pm
- Destination: TYS Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 am from CVG
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.
Other NTSB records under N9469B 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.