Beech 200C accident near Madisonville, Kentucky, June 24, 1987
On June 24, 1987 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Beech 200C, registered N617MS, was destroyed in an accident near Madisonville, Kentucky (Madisonville Muni airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F). 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- June 24, 1987 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Madisonville, Kentucky · Madisonville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200C · all 200Cs on the register
- Registration
- N617MS · no longer on the register · serial BL35
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STRUCK A 2-FT HI AVGAS PUMP WHILE THE PLT WAS TAXIING AROUND ANOTHER ACFT THAT WAS PARKED. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED & A SMALL FIRE RESULTED. THE PLT & PAX EVACUATED THE ACFT. LINE PSNL WERE UNABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITH HAND-HELD EXTINGUISHERS. THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY ENGULFED BY THE FIRE & WAS DESTROYED. A LARGE DRY CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS LOCATED NEXT TO THE PUMP AT THE TIME, BUT LINE PSNL WERE UNABLE TO GET TO IT DUE TO THE FIRE. THE BLACK TOP AROUND THE PUMP HAD RECENTLY BEEN RESURFACED & NO SAFETY MARKINGS, LIGHTS OR BARRICADES WERE IN PLACE AROUND THE PUMP (EXCEPT FOR THE LARGE FIRE EXTINGUISHER). THE PUMP WAS ORIGINALLY LOCATED NEXT TO THE RAMP EDGE, BUT SUBSEQUENTEXPANSION OF THE RAMP LEFT THE PUMP SURROUNDED BY PAVEMENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,875 hours in all; 2,310 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 11,475 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,940 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 27, 1987; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: MWA Marion IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.