Beech B90 incident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, December 29, 1992
On December 29, 1992 at about 9:50 am local time, a Beech B90, registered N31SV, suffered minor damage in an incident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1992 · about 9:50 am local time
- Place
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech B90 · all B90s on the register
- Registration
- N31SV · no longer on the register · serial LJ362
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NIGHT POSITIONING FLIGHT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 14,000 FEET WHEN THE MAIN CABIN DOOR SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE DOOR REVEALED THAT THE DOOR LATCH MECHANISM WAS CAPABLE OF PROPER OPERATION WHEN SECURED PROPERLY. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ANNUNCIATOR DOOR WARNING LIGHT SYSTEM REVEALED THAT WHEN THE DIMMING RHEOSTAT WAS FULL DIM, THE 'DOOR OPEN' LIGHT WENT OUT. ONE OF THE TWO BULBS WAS BURNT OUT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,135 hours in all; 835 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 2,625 as pilot in command; 480 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,098 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 9, 1992; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,650 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 0V6 Mission SD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 1°F (-17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 am from FSD, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.