- Date
- February 15, 1989, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Burlington, VT
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N123DBeech 200
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890215013639I
- Case key
- 36307
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
Improper preflight which resulted in a frozen elevator surface.
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 charter captian experienced restricted movement to the elevator during climbout on three separate occasions, declared an emergency and returned to land at the airport of origin. The pilot found snow and slush brushed into the openings for the elevator hinge assembly and suspected that this trapped moisture froze to the hinge causing the restriction. The pilot said that the preflight inspection revealed only wet wing surfaces, but he was unable to see into the openings on top of the elevator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N123D
- Reported as
- Beech 200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- BB-1219
- Engine
- P&W PT6A, 850 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Evans Air, doing business as Same
- Registered owner
- Evans Air
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,900 total · 1,300 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 34 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.