British Aerospace 3101 accident near Springfield, Ohio, February 9, 1988
On February 9, 1988 at about 8:00 pm local time, a British Aerospace 3101, registered N823JS, was destroyed in an accident near Springfield, Ohio (Beckley Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- February 9, 1988 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Ohio · Beckley Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace 3101
- Registration
- N823JS · registry record · serial 623
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A COMPANY DESIGNATED INSTR AND TWO F/O TRAINEES WERE CONDUCTING A FAR 135 TRNG FLT. THE THIRD APCH WAS TERMINATED WITH AGO-AROUND INITIATED OVER THE RWY THRESHOLD AT ABOUT 50 FT. AFTER CLIMBING TO ABOUT 150 FT, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO OSCILLATE IN YAW, FOLLOWED BY PITCH, AND THEN ROLL TO THE RIGHT. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A NEAR-VERTICAL DESCENT ATTITUDE. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS OPERATING, BUT AT REDUCED POWER. THE LEFT ENGINE WAS AT FULL POWER.THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ACFT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. COMPANY PILOTS INDICATED THAT THE CAPT HAD A HISTORY OF DEMEANING COCKPIT BEHAVIOR AND ROUGHNESS WITH STUDENTS. THE F/O, WAS SMALL IN STATURE AND HAD 100 HRS OF MULTI-ENG TIME AND NO TURBOPROP TIME. COMPANY PILOTS REPORTED THE F/O TRAINEE WAS CONSISTENTLY BEHIND THE ACFT IN PRIOR FLIGHTS. EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE FLAPS IN THE RETRACTED POSITION CONTRARY TO ACFT HANDBOOK. COMPANY PILOTS FURTHER INDICATED THE CAPT HAD HISTORY OF REQUIRING LOW ALTITUDE 1-ENG GO-AROUNDS AND DELAYING OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,670 hours in all; 1,030 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,219 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 27, 1988; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,550 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-10UF (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Jestream Int'L Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DAY Dayton OH at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 8,999 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from SGH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N823JS 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.