Skip to content

GAA16CA308

2016-06-05 · Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FOD

Current FAA registration · N750Z

Make / Model
CESSNA 208B
Year of manufacture
2004 · 12 years old at event
Engine
P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)
Seats / Engines
12 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20040513
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AA1C48

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight crew's failure to install the tail stand prior to passenger boarding, which resulted in a tail strike.

Factual narrative

The pilot in command reported that during the loading of the seventh and final passenger, the airplane tipped onto its tail and impacted the ramp surface. He further reported that the tail stand was not installed and neither he nor the co-pilot noticed the omission before passenger loading began. According to the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/ Incident report form 6120.1 submitted by the operator; after a review of pictures sent to company maintenance, no "major damage" was visually identified, the airplane was released for service, and the flight crew completed the revenue flight. After the airplane reached a company domicile, the airplane was "grounded" after a further visual inspection revealed substantial damage to the aft bulkhead. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot in command reported that during the loading of the seventh and final passenger, the airplane tipped onto its tail and impacted the ramp surface. He further reported that the tail stand was not installed and neither he nor the co-pilot noticed the omission before passenger loading began. According to the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/ Incident report form 6120.1 submitted by the operator; after a review of pictures sent to company maintenance, no "major damage" was visually identified, the airplane was released for service, and the flight crew completed the revenue flight. After the airplane reached a company domicile, the airplane was "grounded" after a further visual inspection revealed substantial damage to the aft bulkhead.      The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Flight crew - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft handling/service-Loading-(general)-Inadequate inspection - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Empennage structure-(general)-Not inspected

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA308.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, maintenance). All research papers