19990802033029I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech C90 · West Palm Beach, FL · August 2, 1999

Date: August 2, 1999 · 19:11 local
Place: West Palm Beach, FL
Airport: Palm Beach International
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N711BN
Reported as: Beech C90
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A60A
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,000 total500 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days

N711BNRegistered now · Beech C90S/N LJ-588 · Built 1973 Airframe modelBeech C90 Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60ATurbo-prop

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.

(-23) On aug. 2, 1999, N711BN, a BE-90, departed from West Palm Beach int'l with pilot duane crithfield, certificate #505589875, and four passengers. During cruise altitude, the aircraft lost it's main cargo/passenger door. The door landed by a church. The aircraft landed at pbi without further incident. The inspection of the aircraft revealed that there was no damage to the latching portion on the airframe. The door latches worked through the full travel. The bottom attachment point and piano hinge were damaged. The pilot states in his statement to this office that a private pilot, other than himself, closed and secured the door.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON AUG. 2, 1999, N711BN, A BE-90, DEPARTED FROM WEST PALM BEACH INT'L WITH PILOT DUANE CRITHFIELD, CERTIFICATE #505589875, AND FOUR PASSENGERS. DURING CRUISE ALTITUDE, THE AIRCRAFT LOST IT'S MAIN CARGO/PASSENGER DOOR. THE DOOR LANDED BY A CHURCH. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AT PBI WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE LATCHING PORTION ON THE AIRFRAME. THE DOOR LATCHES WORKED THROUGH THE FULL TRAVEL. THE BOTTOM ATTACHMENT POINT AND PIANO HINGE WERE DAMAGED. THE PILOT STATES IN HIS STATEMENT TO THIS OFFICE THAT A PRIVATE PILOT, OTHER THAN HIMSELF, CLOSED AND SECURED THE DOOR.