Beech 1900D incident near Williston, North Dakota, January 12, 1995
On January 12, 1995 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N118UX, suffered minor damage in an incident near Williston, North Dakota (Sloulin Field Int'L Apt). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the improper installation and inadequate quality assurance inspection of the elevator trim cable during original manufacture, which resulted in fraying and failure of the cable prior to the first routine scheduled inspection of the system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1995 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Williston, North Dakota · Sloulin Field Int'L Apt
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N118UX · no longer on the register · serial UE118
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN INSTRUMENT DESCENT FROM CRUISE, THE ELEVATOR TRIM CABLE FAILED. THE CREW EXPERIENCED INCREASING NOSE DOWN PITCH REGARDLESS OF INPUT. A SAFE LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY BOTH PILOTS PULLING AFT ON THE YOKE TO OVERCOME PRESSURE, AND LOWERING FLAPS AND LANDING GEAR 50 AND 20 KNOTS ABOVE THEIR RESPECTIVE OPERATING SPEEDS TO REDUCE THE TRIM FORCES AND HELP SLOW THE AIRPLANE. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE TRIM CABLE HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY ROUTED AROUND A CABLE GUIDE DURING INITIAL PRODUCTION, AND HAD NOT REACHED THE FIRST REQUIRED INSPECTION WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE DISCREPANCY TO BE DISCOVERED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,180 hours in all; 2,466 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 93 in the last 30 days; 2,517 as pilot in command; 633 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 440 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 16,600 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-65B (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIS Bismarck ND at 6:08 pm
- Destination: ISN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 6,650 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from ISN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.