Beech E90 accident near Greenville, Texas, June 12, 2019
On June 12, 2019 at about 10:25 pm local time, a 1974 Beech E90, registered N176TW, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Greenville, Texas (Fort Worth Alliance Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue failure of the right main landing gear upper torque knee.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2019 · about 10:25 pm local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Greenville, Texas · Fort Worth Alliance Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E90, built 1974 · all E90s on the register
- Registration
- N176TW · registry record · serial LW-76
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilots were performing an instructional flight with multiple takeoffs and landings when, during one takeoff, the pilots heard a loud noise, and the right main landing gear (MLG) wheel assembly departed the airplane. The pilots elected to perform an emergency landing at another airport due to its larger runways and emergency personnel and equipment. The airplane landed and came to rest upright on the runway surface. Examination of the airplane after landing revealed that the right main wheel/tire and lower shock absorber assembly departed the upper shock absorber assembly. The separated assembly, which was located near the departure airport, impacted the right horizontal stabilizer after separation, which sustained substantial damage. Metallurgical examination of the assembly revealed that the MLG fractured at the connection between the upper and lower torque knees. Fatigue was identified on a fractured piece of the upper torque knee, and other fractures on the torque knee were consistent with overload. Corrosion assisted in crack initiation, and the crack propagated through fatigue until a critical crack length was reached. It is likely that the fatigue area fractured first and the other connections experienced an increase in loading, which caused them to separate from the MLG assembly.
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during takeoff defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,226 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 4,438 as pilot in command; 465 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 27, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,094 hours in all; 112 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 5,668 as pilot in command; 496 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 13, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,400.4 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 14, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 10,160 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 (turboprop); 12,093 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 (turboprop); 7,642 hours total
- Operator: Ameristar Jet Charter, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: GVT Greenville TX
- Destination: AFW Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 34L, 11,010 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from AFW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on November 21, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Textron Materials Report | PDF, 16 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Materials Lab Email | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpt of Aircraft Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Inspector Email | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Excerpt of Maintenance Manual | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | FAA Ad 2002-01-10 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Textron Sb 32-3134 Rev 1 | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Textron Sb 32-3116 | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation - Textron | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N176TW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft E-90 King Air E90 146 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 25 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 25 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Perot Fld/Fort Worth Alliance Airport · nearest airport
- Majors Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,986 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN19LA166.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.