| Crash location | 58.185555°N, 157.385555°W |
| Nearest city | Egegik, AK
58.215556°N, 157.375833°W 2.1 miles away |
| Tail number | N9820F |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 16 May 2004 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 208B |
| Additional details: | None |
On May 16, 2004, approximately 1015 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 208B, N9820F, sustained substantial damage when the right wing struck the ground during taxi for takeoff at Egegik Airport, Egegik, Alaska. The airplane was operated by Peninsula Airways, Inc., of Anchorage, Alaska, doing business as PenAir. The airline transport certificated captain and the commerical certificated first officer were not injured. No cargo or passengers were aboard for the CFR Part 91 repositioning flight from Egegik to King Salmon, Alaska. A company VFR flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to written statements provided by the captain and first officer, the captain was taxiing the airplane from the parking ramp to the runway for takeoff when the left wing was lifted by a wind gust resulting in the right wing striking the ground. When the accident occurred, the airplane was turning left from the taxiway onto the runway, from a magnetic heading of approximately 210 degrees to a heading of approximately 120 degrees. The captain estimated the wind was from 110 degrees (magnetic) at 35 knots gusting to 40 knots.
At 1016, the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at Egegik Airport reported winds from 150 degrees (true) at 39 knots gusting 48 knots. At 1036, the AWOS recorded winds from 140 degrees at 41 knots gusting 48 knots. According to the Kodiak Sectional Aeronautical Chart dated February 19, 2004, the magnetic variation at Egegik is 18 degrees east.
After the accident, the airplane remained tipped on its side with the right wing tip resting on the runway surface. The airplane was righted, and as preparations were being made to move it back to the ramp, another gust of wind lifted the left wing. This resulted in the right wing striking the bed of a flat-bed truck and incurring further damage.
In a phone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the captain stated that after the right wing initially struck the ground, it was bent up 10 to 20 degrees 3 to 4 feet inboard of the wing tip. In a phone interview with the NTSB IIC, the first officer stated that after the right wing initially struck the ground, it was bent up 15 to 20 degrees near the inboard aileron attach point.
The captain's improper evaluation of the weather conditions and improper decision to taxi the airplane in high gusting wind conditions which resulted in the airplane's right wing striking the ground. A contributing factor was the high gusting wind.