Beech C90A accident near Janesville, Wisconsin, August 19, 1994
On August 19, 1994 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Beech C90A, registered N1553N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Janesville, Wisconsin. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot-in-command's exceeding the design structural limits of the airplane. Factors were turbulence in clouds and the pilot- in-command;s continued flight into known adverse weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1994 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Janesville, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C90A · all C90As on the register
- Registration
- N1553N · no longer on the register · serial LJ-1238
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 20,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL, AND MANEUVERING AROUND BUILD-UPS THE FLIGHT ENTERED IMC. SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING THE CLOUDS THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE AND SOME OF THE FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS BECAME UNRELIABLE (TUMBLED). POSITIVE CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE WAS REGAINED BETWEEN 16,800 AND 17,000 MSL. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION FOUND SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRFRAME.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 642 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 157 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 226 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,749 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 4, 1994; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,160 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-21 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: University Of North Dakota
The flight
- Departed from: DET Detroit MI at 4:00 pm
- Destination: GFK Grand Forks ND
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from JVL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.