- Date
- December 29, 1992, 03:50 local (09:50 UTC)
- Place
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N31SVBeech B90
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921229054899I
- Case key
- 15591
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's inadequate preflight.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The night positioning flight was in cruise flight at 14,000 feet when the main cabin door separated from the airplane. An examination of the door revealed that the door latch mechanism was capable of proper operation when secured properly. An examination of the annunciator door warning light system revealed that when the dimming rheostat was full dim, the 'door open' light went out. One of the two bulbs was burnt out.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31SV
- Reported as
- Beech B90
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LJ362
- Airframe hours
- 8,098
- Engine
- P&W PT6-20, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Sioux Valley Hospital Assn.
- Registered owner
- Sioux Valley Hospital Assn.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · June 9, 1992 · 63 hours before
- Destination
- 0V6 · Mission, SD
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,135 total · 835 in this make and model · 2,625 as pilot in command · 195 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 1 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FSD, 40 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.