F406 Caravan II
Twin-engined utility
National originFrance
United States
ManufacturerReims Aviation
First flight22 September 1983
StatusIn service, production to recommence
Primary userFrench DGDDI
More usersRepublic of Korea Navy
Produced1983–2013
Number built99[a][1]
Developed fromCessna 404 Titan

The Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II is a turboprop twin engine utility aircraft manufactured and designed by Reims Aviation in cooperation with Cessna.

Design and development

The F406 Caravan II is a twin turboprop engined, fourteen-seat low-wing monoplane of conventional aluminium (airframe) and steel (engine internal parts, exhaust, landing gear) construction. It is a development of the Cessna 404 Titan with two Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop engines. The aircraft first flew on 22 September 1983[2] and was produced by Reims Aviation until the company's 2013 demise.[3] The F406 is aimed at passenger and small cargo transport as well as civilian and military surveillance. For extra cargo capacity, a cargo pod can be fitted to the belly of the aircraft.

Though the F406 is more expensive to operate than single-engine aircraft of the same passenger capacity such as the Cessna 208 Caravan, having two engines made it comply with European regulations regarding commercial operations, which for a long time only allowed multi-engine aircraft for commercial instrument flight.

In March 2014, Reims Aviation was acquired by Chinese-owned Continental Motors Inc and renamed ASI Aviation. Two remaining incomplete airframes were finished in France before a shift to Mobile, Alabama with new avionics, electrical, and hydraulic systems; a new autopilot; and an engine choice of current P&WC PT6A-135 or pistons : Continental GTSIO-520 and/or Continental CD-310 diesel.[4] The Type Certificate transferred but only had approval to produce spare parts and not the whole aircraft.[1]

Operators

Germany
Namibia

Accidents and incidents

  • On August 31, 1993, a Reims-Cessna F406 (registration F-GJLH) registered to J.G. Abdi crashed at Strasbourg Airport (Alsace). The aircraft was destroyed. [14]
  • 3 November 2001 – A Reims-Cessna F406 crashed shortly after takeoff from runway 03R at O. R. Tambo International Airport, killing all three occupants. The aircraft did not have a valid certificate of airworthiness at the time of the incident.[15]
  • On August 17, 2003, a Reims-Cessna F406 of Hageland Aviation Services (N6591L) crashed in Chukchi on a cargo flight from Barrow Airport to Wainwright Airport in Alaska. The two people on board the aircraft died. Analysis of radar data and statements from a local pilot suggested that the aircraft crashed into the sea.

References and notes

  1. ^ One prototype and 98 production aircraft
  1. ^ "Type-Certificate Data Sheet EASA.A.109: F 406: Issue 06". EASA. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  2. ^ Taylor 1988, p. 79.
  3. ^ "GECI Aviation". Retrieved 9 June 2012. Archived March 16, 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Paul Jackson (May 23, 2016). "Props And Turboprops About To Enter The Marketplace". Aviation Week Network
  5. ^ "Survey"
  6. ^ Cobham Receives AUD$ 7 million Additional Contract Extension from Australian Customs and Border Protection Service Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, article retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. ^ "air saint pierre fleet". airsaintpierre.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  8. ^ "World Air Forces listings (French Army)". flightglobal.com. November 1999. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  9. ^ "The Cessna F406 research aircraft, D-ILAB". tu-braunschweig.de
  10. ^ "Airscene: Military Affairs: First Hellenic Coast Guard F406 enters service". Air International, Vol. 60, No. 5, May 2001. p. 262. ISSN 0306-5634
  11. ^ "WESTAIR – HOME". westair.com.na
  12. ^ "World Air Forces listings (ROK Navy)". flightglobal.com. November 1999. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  13. ^ "About"
  14. ^ Unfallbericht Reims-Cessna F406 F-GJLH, Aviation Safety Network WikiBase (englisch), abgerufen am 2. März 2025.
  15. ^ "ReimsF406 – 700m South of the threshold of Runway 03R FAJS". South African Civil Aviation Authority. Archived 7 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  • Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International, 8–14 December 2015, Vol. 188, No. 5517. pp. 26–53.
  • Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0 7106-0867-5.