Cessna 208B accident near Sedona, Arizona, September 16, 2017
On September 16, 2017 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2004 Cessna 208B, registered N786WW, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Sedona, Arizona (Sedona airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a light pole while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2017 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · Sedona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B, built 2004 · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N786WW · registry record · serial 208B1099
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, while taxiing after landing, he was instructed by the ground controller to follow a truck to transient parking. A fly-in car show event was taking place at the time, and several areas on the ramp were occupied by the show. With a wing walker on the right wing, he followed the truck and moved left of the taxiway centerline to avoid getting too close to the airplanes to the right that overhung into the taxiway. After the airplane was clear of the airplanes to the right, the pilot advanced the throttle and the left wing impacted a light pole, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
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
- Ground handling event during taxi defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 915 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 675 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 7,449 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Westwind Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: 1G4 Peach Springs AZ at 8:22 pm
- Destination: SEZ Sedona AZ
- Runway 03, 5,132 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 pm from KSEZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on August 27, 2018. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flyer - Sedona Airport Day 2017 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array - Onsite Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Aerial View of Accident Site | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Aerial View of Event Locations | 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.
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.