# Incident 19961101038469I: Beech F90, Middletown, PA, November 1, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 1, 1996, 08:43 local time
- Place: Middletown, PA
- Airport: Harrisburg International Airport-Olmsted
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: BR7A
- Location: 40.2009° N, 76.7292° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Middletown, PA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2009&lon=-76.7292&mi=10
- Aircraft: N66BS, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N66BS) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech F90 (registry code 1152909, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-f90) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: U/A Canada PT6A series (registry code 61508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/u-a-canada-pt6a-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH F90
- People aboard: 7
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,200 total, 1,200 in this make and model, 95 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961101038469I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON NOVEMBER 1, 1996, AT 0843 HOURS, A BEECHCRAFT BE-90, N66BS, REGISTERED TO SIMMONS, INC. OF VIRGINIA, RICHMOND, VA PILOT WINDSCREEN CRACKED AT FL230 AND LANDED AT HARRISBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MDT), MIDDLETOWN, PA WHILE ON A 135 FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE, AND THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND SIX PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT TRI-CITIES REGIONAL AIRPORT, TN/VA. DURING CRUISE FLIGHT AT FL230, THE PILOT'S WINDSCREEN SUDDENLY CRACKED. WINDSCREEN HEAT HAD BEEN APPLIED FOR 20-30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE PILOT REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO NEW YORK CENTER AND ASKED FOR A LOWER ALTITUDE. NEW YORK CENTER ASKED THE PILOT IF HE WAS DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. AN EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED, AND A CHOICE OF LANDING AT CAPITAL CITY (CXY) OR HARRISBURG INTERNATIONAL (MDT) WAS OFFERED. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AT HARRISBURG INTERNATIONAL WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. INSPECTION OF THE WINDSCREEN REVEALED THAT ONLY THE OUTSIDE LAMINATION OF THE WINDSCREEN WAS CRACKED VERTICALLY. THIS INCIDENT IS CONSIDERED CLOSED.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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