Beech E18F accident near Anchorage, Alaska, January 15, 1990
On January 15, 1990 at about 11:54 am local time, a Beech E18F, registered N900TH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY COMPANY/OPERATOR PERSONNEL AND INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION BY THE CAPTAIN, WHICH RESULTED IN AN IMPROPERLY LOADED AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 1990 · about 11:54 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E18F · all E18Fs on the register
- Registration
- N900TH · no longer on the register · serial BA106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CAPT RPRTD THAT AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE ACFT BEGAN A LEFT ROLL AS THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED. HE CORRECTED WITH AILERON/RUDDER & LOWERED THE NOSE, BUT THE ACFT ROLLED TO THE RIGHT, THEN BACK TO THE LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE LANDED THE ACFT NEAR THE DEP END OF THE RWY WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT HAD BEEN LOADED TO A WT OF ABOUT 12,850 LBS. THE MAX GROSS WT LIMIT FOR THE ACFT WAS 11,500 LBS. ALSO, THE ACFT'S CENTER-OF- GRAVITY WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 3 INCHES AFT OF THE AFT LIMIT. THE COMPANY DIRECTOR RPRTD THAT WHEN THE CARGO SHIP- MENT(S) WERE DELIVERED TO THE COMPANY, THE WEIGHT(S) WERE NOT CHECKED PRIOR TO LOADING THE ACFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,380 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 5,329 as pilot in command; 530 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,771 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 16, 1989; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett 331-1-101B (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC at 11:54 am
- Destination: ADQ Kodiak AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24L, 10,897 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from ANC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.