Probable cause
The pilot's failure to arrest the aircraft's sink rate on short final, which resulted in a hard landing.
NTSB analysis
The pilot said that, while on short final, the airplane experienced a sudden sink rate when the wind changed from a head wind to calm conditions. He was unable to arrest the sink rate even after power was applied because of the lag time for the airplane’s turbine engine to spool up. The airplane landed hard short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left side of the fuselage was dented and wrinkled, and the left main landing gear was bent inboard of the axle and was missing its brake assembly.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12CA346 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Aug 6, 2012
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Chula Vista, California
- Nearest airport
- John Nichol'S Field Airport (0CL3)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 208
- N-number
- N9727F
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Skydiving
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.