ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan N5187B Bethel Airport, AK (BET)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Tuesday 18 December 2007
Time:08:56
Type:Silhouette image of generic C208 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Operator:Arctic Circle Air Service
Registration: N5187B
MSN: 208B0270
First flight: 1991
Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:3 km (1.9 mls) WNW of Bethel Airport, AK (BET) (   United States of America)
Phase: Initial climb (ICL)
Nature:Cargo
Departure airport:Bethel Airport, AK (BET/PABE), United States of America
Destination airport:Hooper Bay Airport, AK (HPB/PAHP), United States of America
Flightnumber: 218
Narrative:
The Cessna 208B was on a mail delivery flight from Bethel (BET) to Hooper Bay (HPB) Scammon Bay (SCM), Alaska. The airplane crash landed on a tundra hill immediately after takeoff. It skidded about 100 yards, leaving a trail of debris, including the plane's wheels and cargo.
The pilot indicated that the airplane was initially climbing with 20 degrees of flaps after departing runway 36. He retracted the flaps half way at 100 knots of airspeed, and then fully retracted the flaps at 110 knots. The pilot said that the airplane then began to roll to the right in a manner he described as a wave, or vortex feeling. He corrected the roll, lowered the nose of the airplane, and it again rolled to the right, which he again corrected. The airplane rolled to the right a third time, and the pilot saw that the airplane was descending to the ground. He attempted to lower the flaps before the airplane collided with the ground.
The weather observed at Bethel at 08:53 AST was: clear skies, Temperature:-12F (-24C) Dewpoint: -18F (-28C), Relative Humidity: 73%, Winds from the NW (330 degs) at 12 mph. Pressure: 1006.5 millibars. Altimeter:29.71 inches of mercury. The prevailing visibility was 10 miles.
The same aircraft, N5187B, was damaged in December 1999 when it crash-landed during takeoff from Bethel due to icing.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot's failure to adequately remove frost contamination from the airplane, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent collision with terrain during an emergency landing after takeoff."

Accident investigation:

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Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 years
Accident number: ANC08LA027
Download report: Summary report

Classification:
Icing
Loss of control

Sources:
» Two injured in Bethel plane crash (AP 18-12-2007)
» NTSB


Photos

photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-N5187B
accident date: 18-12-2007
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N5187B
photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-N5187B
accident date: 18-12-2007
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N5187B
photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-N5187B
accident date: 18-12-2007
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N5187B
photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-N5187B
accident date: 18-12-2007
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N5187B
photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-N5187B
accident date: 18-12-2007
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N5187B
photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-N5187B
accident date: 18-12-2007
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N5187B
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Bethel Airport, AK to Hooper Bay Airport, AK as the crow flies is 244 km (152 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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