Beech 1900 incident near Lansing, Michigan, June 6, 1996
On June 6, 1996 at about 6:24 pm local time, a Beech 1900, registered N81538, suffered minor damage in an incident near Lansing, Michigan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 18 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 short in the windshield anti-ice low power braided copper lead wire caused a fire that had resulted from the manufacturer's inadequate design.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1996 · about 6:24 pm local time
- Place
- Lansing, Michigan
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 18 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900 · all 1900s on the register
- Registration
- N81538 · no longer on the register · serial UE-199
- 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
The pilot-in-command reported smelling smoke during descent. Smoke was coming out of the bottom left corner of the first officer's windscreen. The first officer, using the portable halon fire extinguisher, extinguished a 6 to 8 inch flame that had erupted from behind the glareshield. The PIC completed the approach and landing. Examination of the windshield by the manufacturer indicated that the source of the excessive heat that caused the windshield and aircraft materials to smoke and ultimately burn, was determined to be arcing of a damaged low power braided copper lead wire. The examiner reported that, 'It is, however, our opinion that the damage was done to the braid wire during the windshield manufacturing process.' The origin of the fracture of the inboard glass ply was in the bottom center post corner area located near the low power terminal block. The examiner reported that, 'the glass fracture occurred as a result of the intensive heat due to electrical arcing of the severed low power lead wire.'
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,180 hours in all; 573 in this make and model; 259 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 2,030 as pilot in command; 1,750 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 506 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 4, 1996; 198 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 17,060 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLE Cleveland OH at 5:00 am
- Destination: LAN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 pm from LAN, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 16 |
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.