Cessna 208B accident near Sacramento, California, February 19, 2010
On February 19, 2010 at about 2:41 am local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N892FE, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Sacramento, California (Sacramento International 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
An in-flight collision with a bird while on final approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 2010 · about 2:41 am local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Sacramento, California · Sacramento International · cases near this airport · 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
- N892FE · registry record · serial 208B0222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on approach to the airport when he saw five large birds. The pilot felt an impact to the right wing and the airplane rolled to the right. The pilot corrected the roll with opposite aileron and rudder input and the airplane landed safely on the runway. Postaccident examination showed substantial damage to the right wing spar. Bird remains recovered from the airplane were identified as tundra swan.
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
- Birdstrike during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,210 hours in all; 1,008 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 4,050 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 11, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,986 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 4, 2010; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,785 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6-114A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: West Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: ACV Arcata CA at 1:18 am
- Destination: SMF Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16R, 8,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from SMF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on April 1, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos Provided by Operator | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Smf Bird Strike Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1. Damage (Provided by FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N892FE on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 208 Caravan 1,017 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6-114A 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sacramento International · nearest airport
- California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10LA141.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.