Beech F90-42 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, January 24, 2001
On January 24, 2001 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Beech F90-42, registered N17AE, was destroyed in an accident near Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville International Airpor airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow loss of engine power emergency procedures by not feathering the propeller following the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, resulting in a descent and collision with trees and the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 2001 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · Nashville International Airpor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F90-42 · all F90-42s on the register
- Registration
- N17AE · no longer on the register · serial lLA-80
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff at less than 200 feet above ground level the pilot reported an engine failure, and requested to return to the airport. The controller saw the airplane in a right turn, descending, and observed the airplane level its wings just prior to impact with the tips of trees. The airplane collided with terrain approximately 2,000 feet east of the approach end of runway 20L. A post crash fire ensued and consumed a majority of the airplane. Examination of both engines displayed contact signatures to their internal components characteristic of the engines being powered, with the propellers out of feather at the time of impact, and a low power range. Examination of the propellers found the left propeller blades showed more damage then the blades from the right propeller. Both propellers were rotating with considerable rotational energy. However, examination showed that the left propeller had more power then the right.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,480 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 2000; 33.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,030 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PT6A-42 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PT6A-42 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Amprite Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 9:07 pm
- Destination: VES Waukesha WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2C, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from BNA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.