Beech C99 incident near Indianapolis, Indiana, July 7, 1988
On July 7, 1988 at about 1:02 am local time, a Beech C99, registered N3063W, suffered minor damage in an incident near Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 12 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
COMPONENT FAILURE DUE TO IMPROPER LUBRICATION BY THE OPERATORS MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1988 · about 1:02 am local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · Indianapolis Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 12 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C99 · all C99s on the register
- Registration
- N3063W · registry record · serial U-230
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,815 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 6,150 as pilot in command; 1,260 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,296 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 2, 1988; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,300 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT-6A-36 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Kentucky Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: OWB Owensboro KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 7,600 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from IND
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 10 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N3063W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.