Beech 1900C accident near Denver, Colorado, November 15, 1992
On November 15, 1992 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Beech 1900C, registered N317BH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton Int'L airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE RAMP AGENT MISJUDGING THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE AIRPLANE AND GPU. A FACTOR WAS: UNAVAILABILITY OF PROPER GROUND ASSISTANCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 1992 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 18 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900C · all 1900Cs on the register
- Registration
- N317BH · no longer on the register · serial UB-32
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER STARTING THE NO. 2 ENGINE, THE CAPTAIN SIGNALLED THE RAMP AGENT TO DISCONNECT THE GROUND POWER UNIT (GPU). THE AGENT SIGNALLED THE CAPTAIN THE GPU HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED AND THE CAPTAIN VERIFIED THIS BY OBSERVING THE 'EXT PWR' ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT HAD EXTINGUISHED AND THERE WAS NO VOLTAGE TO THE EXTERNAL POWER SELECTOR ON THE VOLTMETER. AFTER STARTING THE NO. 1 ENGINE, THE CAPTAIN SIGNALLED THE RAMP AGENT HE WAS READY TO TAXI. THE AGENT GAVE AN ALL CLEAR SIGNAL AND DIRECTED HIM TO MAKE A HARD RIGHT TURN. AS THE AIRPLANE WAS PIVOTING RIGHT, THE AFT PORTION OF THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GPU, RUPTURING THE PRESSURE VESSEL. THE CAPTAIN SAID THE DISCONNECTED GPU WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE COCKPIT.
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: 3,500 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 450 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 1900
- Maximum gross weight: 16,600 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-65B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Britt Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DEN
- Destination: TEX Telluride CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.