N776FE

On April 23, 1996, at about 2141 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 208, N776FE, operated by Mountain Air Cargo, Inc., in Denver, North Carolina, sustained substantial when it tipped onto its left side while taxiing in gusty wind conditions at the Washington Dulles International Airport, in Washington, DC. The pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual Meteorological Conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan was filed. The accident occurred while the pilot was taxiing the airplane to runway 30 for departure, with an intended destination of Richmond, Virginia.

The pilot reported: "After being cleared by the tower to taxi into position and hold on runway 30, the aircraft began to skid on the threshold markings causing the airplane to lose traction and the wing to raise up on the right side." He stated the airplane tipped over, coming to rest on the left wing and propeller. He reported that the wind continued to blow the airplane after it tipped, and it skidded off the runway onto the overrun. The pilot stated that the winds were out of 300 degrees at 17 knots, with gusts to 30 knots.

The pilot indicated that he felt like he had taken every precaution and that the cause of the accident was the gear starting to slide on the painted surface which was slick in spots from an earlier rain storm.