Beech 100 accident near Mayfield, Kentucky, September 16, 1989
On September 16, 1989 at about 2:10 am local time, a Beech 100, registered N887PE, was destroyed in an accident near Mayfield, Kentucky (Mayfield Graves County). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW IFR PROCEDURES AND MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA). FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE TREE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1989 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- Mayfield, Kentucky · Mayfield Graves County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 100 · all 100s on the register
- Registration
- N887PE · no longer on the register · serial B-49
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE FLT WAS ISSUED THE CURRENT PADUCAH ALTIMETER SETTING. THE PLT REQUESTED VECTORS FOR AN APCH TO RWY 18, BUT THE ARTCC CONTROLLER (CTLR) COULD NOT ACCOMMODATE THE REQUEST. THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR A VOR/DME-A APCH. MDA FOR THE APCH WAS 1080' MSL (600' AGL). AT 2108 CDT, THE FLT CHGD TO THE FBO FREQ. FBO PSNL OBSERVED THE ACFT FLY OVER THE ARPT & ADZD THAT IT WAS TOO LOW. ONE OF THE PLTS REPLIED THAT THEY WOULD BE 'STAYING UNDER THE CLOUDS.' THE PLTS HAD PLANNED TO LAND ON RWY 36, BUT RPRTD THEY LOST SIGHT OF THE RWY & WOULD CHANGE TO RWY 18. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE ABOUT 1 MI NNE OF THE ARPT, WHILE ON A WESTERLY HDG (APRX PSN OF BASE LEG FOR A VFR PATTERN). THE ACFT CAME TO REST ABT 700' WEST OF THE TREE & WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT & FIRE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FND. APRX 30 MI WEST AT PADUCAH, THE WX WAS IN PART: 200' SCATTERED, 900' OVC VIS 3 MI WITH RAIN & FOG, WND FM 360 DEG AT 7 KTS. THE ARPT MANAGER ESTIMATED THERE WAS A 200' CEILING AT THE ARPT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,386 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 20, 1989; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,600 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL at 11:00 pm
- Destination: M25
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 4,625 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:20 am from PAH, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.