Beech 1900C accident near Homer, Alaska, November 23, 1987
On November 23, 1987 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Beech 1900C, registered N401RA, was destroyed in an accident near Homer, Alaska (Homer airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 18 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- November 23, 1987 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Homer, Alaska · Homer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 18 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900C · all 1900Cs on the register
- Registration
- N401RA · no longer on the register
- 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, THE ACFT (RYAN FLT 103) CRASHED SHORT OF RWY 3. THE FUSELAGE STAYED INTACT DRG IMPACT, BUT THE BELLY STRUCTURE WAS COMPRESSED & VERTICAL DECELERATION FORCES EXCEEDED THE DESIGN CAPABILITY OF THE SEATS. RESCUE PSNL HAD DIFFICULTY SHUTTING OFF THE ACFT'S ELEC PWR WHICH DELAYED REMOVAL OF THE 1ST OFFICER (F/O) FM THE ACFT. AN INV REVEALED THE ACFT WAS LOADED WITH APRX 600 LBS MORE CARGO THAN THE F/O HAD REQUESTED. THE CENTER-OF-GRAVITY (CG) WAS 8 TO 11 INCHES BEHINDTHE ALLOWABLE AFT LIMIT & THE FLT CREW DID NOT COMPLY WITH COMPANY & FAA PROCEDURES IN COMPUTING THE CG. DRG FLT, UP TO 3/8 INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATED ON THE ACFT'S LEADING EDGES. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE CREW LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT AS THE FLAPS WERE LOWERED. THE RGT FLAP ACTUATOR WAS FND IN THE 7 TO 12 DEG POSITION & THE STABILIZER TRIM WAS FND AT THE FULL NOSE DOWN POSITION. FLT TESTS SHOWED THERE WOULD BE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFICULTY IN CONTROLLING THE ACFT WITH UP TO 1.5' OF ICE ON THE LEADING EDGES & THAT STATIC STABILITY WOULD DETERIORATE DRG FLAP EXTN WITH THE AFT CG CONFIGURATION.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,087 hours in all; 4,420 in this make and model; 96 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 16,600 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-65B (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KDK Kodiak AK
- Destination: HOM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 7,400 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 16 | 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.