Cessna 208B accident near Clarksville, TN
On March 5, 1998, a Cessna 208B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Clarksville, TN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 5, 1998
- Place
- Clarksville, TN
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.559°N, 87.339°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09730
Official records · MIA98FA091
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 5, 1998, about 0520 central standard time, a Cessna 208B, N840FE, registered to Federal Express Inc., and operated by Baron Aviation Services, Inc., as flight SM8315 (call sign Show Me), was destroyed after impact with the ground, near Clarksville, Tennessee. The commercial-rated pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed in the vicinity, and an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan had been filed. The scheduled domestic cargo flight from Memphis, Tennessee, to Bowling Green, Kentucky, was being conducted in accordance with Title 14 CFR Part 135. The flight had departed Memphis, at 0413. The pilot of SM8315 was in radio contact with air traffic controllers at the FAA Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and was level at an altitude of about 9,000 feet, on the Nashville VOR 315-degree radial, about 25 nautical miles, when radio and radar contact was lost. Witnesses in the area reported hearing the sound of the crash and the wreckage was located a short time later. The crash site was located on the Nashville VOR 315-degree radial about 35 nautical miles, or about 5 miles southeast of Clarksville. The last radio communication with the pilot of SM8315 was at 0447, when he checked in on frequency with the Memphis ARTCC, and reported at 9,000 feet. About 0520, radar contact was lost. At 0521, the controller attempted to re-establish radio contact with the pilot, and said he had lost his transponder. No response from the pilot was received, and no further radar contacts were made. The airplane impacted
Probable cause
the pilot did not maintain control of the airplane due to undetected airframe ice, resulting in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent impact with the ground. Factors in this accident were; flight into clouds, below freezing temperatures, and the inability of the pilot to detect ice, due to the lack of an ice detection system to determine ice build up on portions of the airframe that are not visible
More accidents in TN
- Cessna 501, May 29, 2021
- Cessna 421B, Dec 2, 2004
- Piper PA32RT, Mar 5, 2024
- Bell 206, Apr 4, 2016
- Beech A36, Sep 1, 2007
Browse: Tennessee · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
