Date:	Tuesday 28 March 2006
Time:	16:55
Type:	Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Owner/operator:	Cessna Aircraft
Registration:	N208WE
MSN:	208B1171
Year of manufacture:	2006
Total airframe hrs:	52 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	1,2 km N of Oak Glen, CA -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	Thermal Airport, CA (TRM/KTRM)
Destination airport:	Ontario International Airport, CA (ONT/KONT)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Cessna 208 N208WE was owned by Cessna and used to market Caravans to customers. The Caravan's regional sales manager for the western U.S. and Canada departed the Cessna plant at Wichita-Cessna Aircraft Field, KS (CEA) on March 27. At North Las Vegas (VGT) the pilot met with the president of Pacific Aircraft Sales. Both men departed the next day to Kingman, AZ (IGM) and then on to Thermal (TRM). In the area of TRM, the two pilots conducted a demonstration flight for a prospective customer. After the demonstration flight an IFR flight plan was filed for a flight to Ontario, CA (ONT) with a planned en route altitude of 10,000 feet. The airplane departed at approximately 16:35. About 16:55 the flight had reached an altitude of about 8500 feet.
At that time the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control controller advised the pilots that radar contact was established that they were heading into rising terrain. The controller asked, "Do you have the terrain in sight?" At 16:55:03, one of the pilots responded "8 Whiskey Echo, we're maneuvering away from the terrain right now." Nine seconds later radio contact was lost. The Cessna struck a ridge and crashed. The elevation at the accident site was 6,073 feet.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological weather conditions and his subsequent failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, that led to a stall/spin."

NTSB
Plane crash kills Cessna employee (The Wichita Eagle, 30-3-2006)

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