Cessna 208B Grand Caravan crash, Dec 31, 2017 (12 killed)
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan accident on December 31, 2017 near Punta Islita, Guanacaste (North Pacific), Costa Rica with 12 fatalities. Cause: NTSB: The...
- Date: December 31, 2017
- Aircraft: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
- Location: Punta Islita, Guanacaste (North Pacific), Costa Rica
- Fatalities: 12
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: NTSB: The flight crew's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering to exit an area of rising terrain, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall. Contributing factors were the decision to take off toward rising terrain that likely exceeded the climb capability, the lack of weather reporting for wind determination, and the lack of documented training for an airport requiring a non standard departure.
On 31 December 2017 a Nature Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on a charter flight carrying 10 passengers and 2 pilots departed Punta Islita Airport and turned away from the valley toward rising terrain, then stalled and crashed. All 12 occupants were killed and the airplane was destroyed by impact and a post crash fire. The NTSB found the crew failed to maintain airspeed while maneuvering to exit rising terrain, exceeding the critical angle of attack.