Beech 1900D accident near Escanaba, Michigan, February 15, 2000
On February 15, 2000 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N81SK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Escanaba, Michigan (Delta County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the flightcrew to maintain directional control due to unsafe/hazardous conditions on the runway that was not relayed to them. Factors were the uneven snow covered runway and the snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 2000 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Escanaba, Michigan · Delta County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N81SK · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain reported that upon landing, '... the aircraft pulled to the right due to unknown reasons.' He also stated that, 'The aircraft departed the runway surface at which point a propeller blade impacted an unknown object that severed the blade from the hub and causing it to impact the fuselage.' A representative at the airport reported that snow plowing operations were being conducted at the time of the accident, when the driver of the snow plow heard the aircraft report on the Unicom frequency. At this time, the snow plowing operations were suspended. About 45 minutes elapsed before the aircraft touched down. The report also indicates that the runway had not been plowed to its full width and that the south side of the runway had not been plowed. The report also indicates that no radio communications were made with the flight crew regarding updated runway conditions. Airport condition reports from the day of the accident indicate that there was a snowbank approximately 24 inches high on the south side of the runway.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,422 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 11, 2000; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 17,060 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVC Traverse City MI at 10:00 pm
- Destination: ESC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 6,501 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from ESC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.