Beech BE-99 accident near Galesburg, Illinois, January 3, 1984
On January 3, 1984 at about 3:30 am local time, a Beech BE-99, registered N317VA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Galesburg, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 11 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 1984 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Galesburg, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-99
- Registration
- N317VA · registry record · serial U72
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE MAIN GEAR RETRACTED WHILE THE ACFT WAS BEING TAXIED TO THE TAXIOFF POSITION. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A LANDING GEAR MAINTENANCE VALVE PN22400-1, SN19 MANUFACTURED BY AIRRIGHT INC HAD CORRODED AND WAS ALLOWING STRAY VOLTAGE TO CYCLETHE LANDING GEAR RETRACTION SYSTEM.
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, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,639 hours in all; 4,078 in this make and model; 196 in the last 90 days; 7,056 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,687 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 31, 1983; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,400 lb
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: U/A Canada PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Britt Airways, INC.
The flight
- Destination: SQ1 Sterling IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots, gusting 8
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
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.