Beech 99C accident near Barrow, Alaska, May 21, 1996
On May 21, 1996 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Beech 99C, registered N216CS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barrow, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight collision with a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1996 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Barrow, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 99C · all 99Cs on the register
- Registration
- N216CS · registry record · serial 4-216
- 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 scheduled commuter flight was approximately 800 feet msl and 15 miles from its destination when a small duck struck the copilot's windshield. The duck penetrated the windshield and glanced off the copilot's face.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,376 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 275 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 3,945 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,599 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 12, 1996; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,300 lb
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-36 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIZ Pt. Lay AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: BRW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N216CS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.