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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2019 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Texas · Fort Worth Alliance 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
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Failure
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
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN19LA166.