Beech 200 incident near Hillsdale, Wisconsin, April 22, 2002
On April 22, 2002 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Beech 200, registered N26SJ, suffered minor damage in an incident near Hillsdale, Wisconsin. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 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 passenger/crew door latch pin during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2002 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Hillsdale, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N26SJ · no longer on the register · serial BE592
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The on-demand passenger flight was cruising at flight level 190 when the passenger/crew door separated from the airframe. Visual meteorological conditions with no reported turbulence prevailed at the time of the incident. The door was recovered in the locked position. Examination of the door revealed a fatigue fracture of the upper aft latch bolt. There were no indications of damage to the door frame and latch plates.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,540 hours in all; 425 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 3,470 as pilot in command; 2,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 13, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,800 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 640 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 21,500 as pilot in command; 1,554 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 28, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,352.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 17, 2002; 5.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STP St Paul MN at 10:15 pm
- Destination: ATW Appleton WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,800 ft; a few clouds at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from EAU, 30 miles away
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.