Beech E90 incident near Lander, Wyoming, January 31, 1989
On January 31, 1989 at about 2:16 am local time, a Beech E90, registered N87CH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Lander, Wyoming (Hunt Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
DEER ON THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1989 · about 2:16 am local time
- Place
- Lander, Wyoming · Hunt Field · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E90 · all E90s on the register
- Registration
- N87CH · registry record · serial LW-20
- 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
ACFT WAS ON A MEDIVAC FLT AND WAS TAKING OFF ON RWY 03 AT LANDER, WY. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, PLT SAW TWO DEER RUNNING ACROSS RWY AND ROTATED ACFT ABRUPTLY TO AVOID COLLISION. HE FELT 'MODERATE' IMPACT. AFTER DETERMINING LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR HAD BEEN DAMAGED, PLT DIVERTED TO CASPER, WY, WHERE THERE WAS LONGER, WIDER RWYS AND CFR FACILITIES. AFTER BURNING OFF EXCESS FUEL, PLT MADE INTENTIONAL WHEELS-UP LANDING. ACFT WAS EVACUATED IN 40 SEC. POST ACC INVESTIGATION REVEALED PARTS OF THE LEFT MAIN LNDG GEAR AND TWO DEAD DEER ON THE TAKEOFF RWY AT LANDER.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,460 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 4,951 as pilot in command; 314 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,137 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 4, 1989; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LND at 2:16 am
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 5,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.