19970813022119A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Beech 1900C · Seattle, WA · August 13, 1997

Date
August 13, 1997 · 19:13 local
Place
Seattle, WA
Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
JIKA
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N3172A
NTSB investigation
NTSBSEA97FA188
Reported as
Beech 1900C
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A65B
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
6,370 total106 in this make and model123 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft cleared to land, appeared to stall, dropped 100FT onto runway, crashed and burned. (.4)the Beech 1900C cargo aircraft was loaded with more than 4,962 pounds of cargo during an approximate 20 minute period. No scale was available at the aircraft, forcing loaders to rely on tallying either waybill weights or estimates of total cargo weight and center of gravity (CG) during the brief loading period. Additionally, a strike had shut down a major cargo competitor at the time with substantial cargo overflow to the operator. Post-crash examination determined the cargo load was 656 pounds greater than that documented on the pilot's load manifest, and the CG was between 6.8 and 11.3 inches aft of the aft limit. The airplane behaved normally, according to the pilot, until he initiated full flaps for landing approaching the threshold of runway 34L at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. At this time, the aircraft's airspeed began to decay rapidly and a high sink rate developed as the aircraft entered into a stall/mush condition. The aircraft then landed hard, overloading the nose and left-main landing gear which collapsed. A post-impact fuel system leak during the ground slide led to a post-crash fire.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT CLEARED TO LAND, APPEARED TO STALL, DROPPED 100FT ONTO RUNWAY, CRASHED AND BURNED. (.4)THE BEECH 1900C CARGO AIRCRAFT WAS LOADED WITH MORE THAN 4,962 POUNDS OF CARGO DURING AN APPROXIMATE 20 MINUTE PERIOD. NO SCALE WAS AVAILABLE AT THE AIRCRAFT, FORCING LOADERS TO RELY ON TALLYING EITHER WAYBILL WEIGHTS OR ESTIMATES OF TOTAL CARGO WEIGHT AND CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG) DURING THE BRIEF LOADING PERIOD. ADDITIONALLY, A STRIKE HAD SHUT DOWN A MAJOR CARGO COMPETITOR AT THE TIME WITH SUBSTANTIAL CARGO OVERFLOW TO THE OPERATOR. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION DETERMINED THE CARGO LOAD WAS 656 POUNDS GREATER THAN THAT DOCUMENTED ON THE PILOT'S LOAD MANIFEST, AND THE CG WAS BETWEEN 6.8 AND 11.3 INCHES AFT OF THE AFT LIMIT. THE AIRPLANE BEHAVED NORMALLY, ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, UNTIL HE INITIATED FULL FLAPS FOR LANDING APPROACHING THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 34L AT THE SEATTLE-TACOMA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AT THIS TIME, THE AIRCRAFT'S AIRSPEED BEGAN TO DECAY RAPIDLY AND A HIGH SINK RATE DEVELOPED AS THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED INTO A STALL/MUSH CONDITION. THE AIRCRAFT THEN LANDED HARD, OVERLOADING THE NOSE AND LEFT-MAIN LANDING GEAR WHICH COLLAPSED. A POST-IMPACT FUEL SYSTEM LEAK DURING THE GROUND SLIDE LED TO A POST-CRASH FIRE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

Other reports on N3172A · 3

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.