History of the Flight
On Thursday 25 April 2024, a Cessna 208 Caravan registered F-GUTS departed Verona-Boscomantico airport (Italy) at 14:01 local time on a ferry flight to Gap-Tallard aerodrome. Upon arrival, an AFIS service was active and paved runway 20 was in use. However, another aircraft was in the circuit for paved runway 02, so the pilot decided to join the downwind leg for runway 02. The pilot entered the downwind at 3,460 ft, approximately 760 ft above circuit altitude. Mid-downwind, the pilot reduced power and suddenly felt vibrations from the powerplant.
Anticipating the turn onto base leg, the pilot shortened the pattern. At the midpoint of base leg, the aircraft was at 2,760 ft with a ground speed of about 100 kt. The aircraft crossed the runway threshold at about 185 ft height, still at 100 kt. After overflying the runway, the pilot made a slight right turn then a left turn, and executed a forced landing in a clearing north of the runway. The aircraft came to rest on a bank at the far end of the clearing. The pilot reported the accident on the Gap-Tallard frequency and evacuated without assistance.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, the Météo-France weather station at Gap-Tallard recorded winds from 170° at 6 kt, gusting to 13 kt. Sky was clear with visibility greater than 10 km. Outside air temperature was 15°C with a dew point of -5°C.
Aircraft Information
F-GUTS was a Cessna 208 Caravan, a single-engine aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A turbine engine (600 shp) and a McCauley metal three-blade, variable-pitch propeller. Maximum takeoff weight was 8,035 lb. The emergency checklist for a landing without engine power specifies feathering the propeller and an approach speed of 80 kt with flaps FULL (30°) or 95 kt with flaps retracted. The flight manual did not contain a specific procedure for propeller governor failure.
A maintenance operation involving propeller removal was performed between 13 February and 7 March 2024 by approved maintenance organization ICARIUS. The aircraft flew 33 hours between that maintenance and the accident. After maintenance, the aircraft was ferried to Verona on 7 March. From 9 March to 21 April, it was dry-leased to a skydiving club in Verona, which conducted 11 flights (30 hours, 90 landings). The accident occurred during the ferry flight at the end of this lease.
Site and Wreckage Information
The aircraft collided with a bank at the edge of a field 600 m north of runway 20 threshold. All damage resulted from ground impact. The propeller was found in the feathered position.
Examination of the powerplant revealed incorrect installation of the propeller reversing lever. In its correct position, the lever sits under a metal guide to prevent the carbon block from leaving the slip ring groove. On F-GUTS, the lever was positioned on top of the metal guide. This allowed the carbon block to come out of the groove, permitting the propeller reversing lever to move and actuate the Beta valve until the propeller feathered.
Publications Concerning Installation
The Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) warns about correct positioning of the propeller reversing lever under the metal guide and references the engine maintenance manual for installation procedure. The engine maintenance manual details the procedure and illustrates the risk of incorrect positioning. Pratt & Whitney Canada issued Service Information Letter SIL in March 2016 regarding this risk. Following investigations highlighting the safety risk, the NTSB issued two safety recommendations in December 2016: one to the FAA to issue a special information bulletin requesting visual verification during inspections and after propeller reinstallation; another to Pratt & Whitney Canada to develop a new metal guide design. The FAA issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) in 2020. In September 2025, Pratt & Whitney Canada informed the NTSB and BEA that a modification to the metal guide design had been certified for production on PT6A engines for the Cessna Caravan (models 114, 114A, and 140).