Cessna 208 N208KW

Summary

On 31 January 2001 at about 15:40 local time, a Cessna 208 registered N208KW was involved in an accident near Key West, Florida, United States. 10 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 January 2001 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Key West, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Key West International (KEYW)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 208

Registration

N208KW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Key West → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL01LA032

Nobody was injured.

The airplanes' inadvertent collision with a swell during a water landing near a ferry boat that resulted the overload failure of the rear float/strut assembly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot planned and performed a water landing to avoid any past wake swells created by the ferry boat. Approximately 1/2 to 3/4 through his landing slide, with the plane slowed to approximate 30 - 35 knots, a large swell appeared before him. Despite efforts to avoid the wake created by the boat, the airplane encountered a swell that launched the airplane 10-15 feet into the air. The airplane subsequently collided with the water and the rear float struts failed at the attachment points. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.