Beechcraft 1900D N251GL
19 August 1998 · Denver, Colorado, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 19 August 1998 at about 23:15 local time, a Beechcraft 1900D registered N251GL, operated by Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., was involved in an accident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 15 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Denver International (DEN)
- Coordinates
- 39.8501, -104.7009
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 1900D
- Registration
- N251GL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd.
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Rock Springs
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW98FA364
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
Probable cause
Debonding of the propeller erosion shield due to an improper overhaul and repair by other maintenance personnel.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Shortly after the airplane took off, the crew heard a loud noise and felt a slight vibration from the left propeller. They returned and landed. It was discovered that the propeller erosion shield had debonded and a portion had penetrated the passenger cabin just aft of the airstair door, knocked ajar Seat 1A Passenger Service Unit, ricocheted off the ceiling, and penetrated the inner window pane at Seat 2C. Laboratory examination of the propeller blade revealed an area 'consistent with adhesive disbonding (debond) on about 80% of the total bond area...' Three hundred hours before the accident, the blade had been overhauled and repaired. The repaired area contained numerous voids, air bubbles, dirt and debris. Evidence of chaffing (rubbing) was found at several locations in the debonded area, indicative of movement between the debonded erosion shield and the propeller blade body. Samples of the erosion shield adhesive were tested and found to have been mixed in improper proportions, reducing bond strength.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 1900 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep 1998 | Beechcraft 1900C | St. Mary's, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1998 | Beechcraft 1900D | Syracuse, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1998 | Beechcraft 1900D | Saranac Lake, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 1998 | Beechcraft 1900C | Luxeuil, France | Flandre Air | Unknown | - |
| 30 Jul 1998 | Beechcraft 1900D | Lorient, France | Protheus Airline | Fatal | 15 |
| 14 Aug 1997 | Beechcraft 1900C | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 1998 | Mooney M20F | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Jan 1998 | Aviat A-1 | Buena Vista, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 1998 | Cessna 182E | Steamboat Sprng, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1998 | Champion 7GCAA | Aurora, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 1998 | Beechcraft 23 | Colorado Sprngs, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Feb 1998 | Enstrom F-28C-2 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |