Accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan N732MD,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 320713
 

Date:Wednesday 17 July 2013
Time:08:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic C208 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Owner/operator:Air Choice One
Registration: N732MD
MSN: 208B1083
Year of manufacture:2004
Total airframe hrs:10473 hours
Engine model:Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 11
Aircraft damage: Substantial, repaired
Category:Accident
Location:Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD) -   United States of America
Phase: Standing
Nature:Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD/KORD)
Destination airport:Burlington Airport, IA (BRL/KBRL)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, N732MD, was substantially damaged at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (KORD), Illinois. The two pilots and nine passengers were not injured.
The pilot in command and 9 passengers were on board the airplane, and the second in command was outside on the right side of the airplane; adjacent to the passenger door and ventral stairs. A passenger in the last row of the airplane asked the second in command to assist her with her seatbelt, at which time the second in command climbed up the stairs into the airplane. At the same time, the gate agent removed the tail stand from the airplane, without communicating with the flight crew.
A passenger in row 3 then stood up to hand a carry-on bag to the second in command so that it could be stowed in the cargo compartment. As the passenger stood up and stepped towards the back of the airplane, the airplane titled backwards and the tail struck the tarmac. The pilot in command ensured that everyone was okay and then asked passengers to move forward in the airplane in an effort to bring the nose of the airplane back down. The pilot in command, second in command, and passengers disembarked from the airplane without further incident.
An examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the bulkhead in the tail section of the airplane. An examination of the airplane and remaining systems revealed no anomalies.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The gate agent’s premature removal of the tailstand without confirming with the flight crew that it was safe to remove, which allowed the airplane to tilt backward when a passenger stood up and stepped toward the back of the airplane."

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN13LA421
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
2 November 2015 N732MD Air Choice One 0 Chicago, IL sub
Tailstrike

Location

Revision history:

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