Event CEN16LA089

Factual narrative

On November 11, 2015, about 0950 central standard time, a Cessna 208B, N617ST, tipped back and the tail struck the pavement while parked at the ramp at Grand Forks International Airport (KGFK), Grand Forks, North Dakota. The pilot and nine passengers on board were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by Sartec Corporation, Anoka, Minnesota, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and an instrument flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Anoka, Minnesota, approximately 0730, and was destined for KGFK.According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector's statement and the pilot's loss statement, the airplane had landed and had taxied to the ramp. As the pilot got out of the airplane, he instructed the passengers to remain seated. As he deplaned to attach the tail stand, the airplane tipped back and struck the pavement with its tail. The pilot re-boarded and instructed the passengers to leave their seats and move forward. The airplane righted itself. The inspector said the forward bulkhead for the horizontal stabilizer attachment point was crushed and torn, and three stringers, another bulkhead, and the lower skin were damaged. The inspector stated that because of the uncooperative attitude of the pilot, most of their data was derived from the airplane's registered owner, insurance company, and repair facility. In his report, the inspector wrote: "Passenger information included a seating chart showing the location and weights of each individual. Aircraft information included W&B (weight and balance) data and loading chart from the AFM (Airplane Flight Manual) and seat CG (center of gravity) location from STC'd (Supplemental Type Certificate) interior data. Fuel load was derived from [the] pilot's statement on the insurance loss statement, which was 800 pounds. With that information a weight and balance was calculated and the aircraft's center of gravity (CG) was found to be aft of the aft CG limit." The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country business flight. He landed the airplane and then taxied to the ramp. The pilot instructed the passengers to remain seated and then deplaned to attach the tailstand, at which point the airplane tipped back and struck the pavement with its tail. The pilot reboarded and instructed the passengers to leave their seats and move forward, and the airplane righted itself. The forward bulkhead for the horizontal stabilizer attachment point was crushed and torn, and three stringers, another bulkhead, and the lower skin were damaged in the accident. The center of gravity (CG) was calculated postaccident based on the available weight and balance data, and it was aft of the CG limit. It is likely that the pilot did not properly calculate the airplane's weight and balance and CG, which resulted in the airplane tipping backward as the pilot attempted to attach the tailstand. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Weight/balance calculations-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-CG/weight distribution-Capability exceeded - C