Beechcraft 1900C N87GL
19 November 1996 · Quincy, Illinois, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 19 November 1996 at about 23:01 local time, a Beechcraft 1900C registered N87GL, operated by Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., was involved in an accident near Quincy, Illinois, United States. 14 people were on board and 14 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:01
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Quincy, Illinois, United States
- Nearest airport
- Quincy Municipal (UIN)
- Coordinates
- 39.9291, -91.3801
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 1900C
- Registration
- N87GL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd.
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Burlington → Quincy
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- DCA97MA009
People
14 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the failure of the pilots in the King Air A90 to effectively monitor the common traffic advisory frequency or to properly scan for traffic, resulting in their commencing a takeoff roll when the Beech 1900C (United Express flight 5925) was landing on an intersecting runway. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the Cherokee pilot's interrupted radio transmission, which led to the Beech 1900C pilot's misunderstanding of the transmission as an indication from the King Air that it would not take off until after flight 5925 had cleared the runway. Contributing to the severity of the accident and the loss of life were the lack of adequate aircraft rescue and firefighting services and the failure of the air stair door on the Beech 1900C to be opened. (NTSB Report AAR-97/04)
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Beech 1900C, N87GL, was in its landing roll on runway 13, and the Beech A90, N1127D, was in its takeoff roll on runway 4. The collision occurred at the intersection of the two runways. The flight crew of the Beech 1900C had made appropriate efforts to coordinate the approach & landing through radio communications & visual monitoring; however they mistook a Cherokee pilot's transmission (that he was holding for departure on runway 4) as a response from the Beech A90 to their request for the Beech A90's intentions, and therefore mistakenly believed that the Beech A90 was not planning to take off until after the Beech 1900C had cleared the runway. The failure of the Beech A90 pilot to announce over the common traffic advisory frequency his intention to take off created a potential for collision between the two airplanes.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft 1900C 1900C | N87GL | Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. | Destroyed |
| Beechcraft A90 A90 | N1127D | Centurion Investment, Inc. | Destroyed |
Other Beechcraft 1900 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1996 | Beechcraft 1900D | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | Astral Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 1996 | Beechcraft 1900 | Lansing, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1996 | Beechcraft 1900D | Pueblo, Colorado, United States | Mesa Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 7 Feb 1996 | Beechcraft 1900D | Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States | Liberty Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 1996 | Beechcraft 1900D | Hopkensville, Kentucky, United States | Skyway Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 2 May 1996 | Beechcraft 1900D | Denver, Colorado, United States | Mesa Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1996 | Bellanca 7GCAA | Hinckley, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 Aug 1996 | Piper PA-32-300 | Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States | Northwest Flyers, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1996 | Globe GC-1B | Hampshire, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | - |
| 17 Aug 1996 | Cessna 172 | Greenwood, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 1996 | Beechcraft 200 | Peoria, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1996 | Grumman G-164A | Galesburg, Illinois, United States | Harold's Flying Service | Minor injuries | - |