Cessna 208 N989FX

Summary

On 24 February 2015 at about 11:12 local time, a Cessna 208 registered N989FX, operated by Mountain Air Cargo Inc, was involved in an accident near Baltimore, Maryland, United States. One person was 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

24 February 2015 at 11:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Baltimore/Washington Intl (BWI)

Coordinates

39.1847, -76.6672

Aircraft

Cessna 208

Registration

N989FX

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Mountain Air Cargo Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newark → Baltimore

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA15LA135

Nobody was injured.

The ground service vehicle operator's failure to yield right of way to the airplane due to distraction, which necessitated the pilot's use of reverse thrust and braking to avoid a collision and resulted in the airplane's empennage striking the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was taxiing the airplane to the parking ramp after a night flight. As he approached a point where the taxiway intersected a service road, a ground service vehicle crossed in front of the airplane. To avoid a collision, the pilot applied the brakes and used reverse thrust, which stopped the airplane about 3 ft from the vehicle. The rapid application of braking and reverse thrust resulted in the airplane rocking backward and the empennage striking the ground, substantially damaging the airframe. The operator of the ground service vehicle reported that he was distracted while he attempted to retrieve a security badge and did not see the airplane as it approached the intersection. State law required that ground vehicles always yield right of way to taxiing aircraft.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.