Pilatus Aircraft PC-12/47E accident near Lake Abert, Oregon, September 15, 2020
On September 15, 2020 at about 2:30 am local time, a 2015 Pilatus Aircraft PC-12/47E, registered N1220A, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lake Abert, Oregon (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 an object during the takeoff ground roll due to inadequate monitoring of the environment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2020 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Lake Abert, Oregon · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pilatus Aircraft PC-12/47E, built 2015
- Registration
- N1220A · registry record · serial 1568
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll from a private dirt strip, the left wing was substantially damaged when it impacted a truck parked alongside of the runway. The pilot reported that it was dusk and he “just didn’t see the truck.” The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 collision during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,170 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-67P (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rivers End Ranch LLC
The flight
- Runway 360, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from LKV, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.