Cessna 208 accident near Chula Vista, California, August 6, 2012
On August 6, 2012 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 208, registered N9727F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Chula Vista, California (John Nichol'S Field Airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 failure to arrest the aircraft's sink rate on short final, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2012 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chula Vista, California · John Nichol'S Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N9727F · no longer on the register · serial 20800151
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that, while on short final, the airplane experienced a sudden sink rate when the wind changed from a head wind to calm conditions. He was unable to arrest the sink rate even after power was applied because of the lag time for the airplane’s turbine engine to spool up. The airplane landed hard short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left side of the fuselage was dented and wrinkled, and the left main landing gear was bent inboard of the axle and was missing its brake assembly.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,650 hours in all; 800 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 16, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,990 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 29, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tactical Air Operations INC
The flight
- Departed from: 0CL3 Chula Vista CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 0CL3 Chula Vista CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from NRS, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.