Beech 99 accident near Auburn, Maine, August 26, 1985
On August 26, 1985 at about 2:05 am local time, a Beech 99, registered N300WP, was destroyed in an accident near Auburn, Maine (Auburn-Lewiston Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 8 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 1985 · about 2:05 am local time
- Place
- Auburn, Maine · Auburn-Lewiston Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 8 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 99 · all 99s on the register
- Registration
- N300WP · registry record · serial U-22
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARR, APRX 12 MI SOUTH OF THE FINAL APCH FIX (FAF), FLT 1808 WAS CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 4 APCH. APRX 3 MIN LATER, ATC CONTROLLER (CTLR) NOTED ACFT WAS TRACKING EAST OF THE LOCALIZER (LOC) COURSE. HE ASKED IF THE FLT WAS RCVG THE ILS LOC. CAPT REPLIED 'NOT YET WE HAVEN'T INTERCEPTED.' THE CTLR THEN STATED 'ROGER, TURN LEFT HDG 340, SHOW YOU SLIGHTLY RGT OFIT.' APRX 45 SEC LATER, AS THE ACFT WAS CROSSING THE LOC AT THE FAF WITH A LARGE INTERCEPT ANGLE, THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGEDRCVG IT. THE ACFT CONTD PAST THE FAF AT A RELATIVELY FAST SPEED, BUT DSCNDG VERY SLOW. ALSO, IT CONTD LEFT OF THE LOC, THEN CROSSED BACK TO THE RGT & WENT ABV, THEN BLO THE GLIDE SLOPE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT TREES 4007' SHORT & 440' RGT OF THE RWY. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT CREW COORDINATION WAS NOT CONSIS-TENTLY PRACTICED AMONG COMPANY CREWMEMBERS DRG ROUTINE OPNS.PREV INV REVEALED BEECH 99 ACFT HAD COCKPIT NOISE LVL OF UP TO 97 DB. FAA SURVEILLANCE WAS AFFECTED ADVERSELY BY LACK OF MANPWR. OVRALL EXP LVL OF COMPANY PLTS REDUCED BY TURNOVR.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,153 hours in all; 504 in this make and model; 278 in the last 90 days; 2,999 as pilot in command; 546 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30,335 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,400 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA at 1:30 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 300 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from LEW, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.