Beech C90 incident near Herndon, Virginia, March 29, 1984
On March 29, 1984 at about 1:30 am local time, a Beech C90, registered N66KA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Herndon, Virginia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 1984 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Herndon, Virginia
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C90 · all C90s on the register
- Registration
- N66KA · registry record · serial LJ-582
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT ENTERED AN UNCOMMANDED DIVE AT ABOUT 11,000 FT MSL, WITH RECOVERY MADE BELOW 2,000 FT MSL. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT DURING THE DESCENT, IN ORDER TO ACCOMODATE OTHER AIR TRAFFIC, THE PLT EXCEEDED VNE SPEEDS. SHORTLY, THEREAFTER THE ELEVATOR TRIM SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED & JAMMED THE TRIM IN THE FULL NOSE DOWN TRIM POSITION. WHEN A BRIEF FLARE-UP OF SMOKE & SPARKS ERUPTED UNDER THE RT INSTRUMENT PANEL ON THE LT SIDE OF THE CONTROL COLUMN THE PLT DELAYED AN EMERGENCY BUT DID NOT RELAY INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CONTROL PROBLEM. POST INCIDENT EXAMINATION FOUND THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB CABLE BROKEN AT THE TRIM SERVO, LOCATED UNDER THE AFT CABIN FLOOR JUST FORWARD OF THE CABIN ENTRANCE DOOR. FRAYED IN AN IRREGULAR MANNER OVER A NINE INCH AREA, THE LOOSE CABLES BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE ELECTRICAL POWER DIODES LOCATED BENEATH THE CONTROL PEDESTAL. INSPECTION REVEALED THE FRICTION CLUTCH OPERATED AT TOO HIGH TORQUE & THE CABLES WERE OUT OF ALIGNMENT CAUSING HEAT TO OTHER COMPONENTS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 94,004 hours in all; 4,900 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 7,650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 29, 1984; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ROA Roanoke VA
- Destination: IAD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from IAD
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.
Other NTSB records under N66KA 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.