Beech B90 accident near Savannah, Georgia, May 12, 2012
On May 12, 2012 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Beech B90, registered N275LE, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Savannah, Georgia (Savannah/Hilton Head Internati airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate visual lookout while taxiing near a hangar, which resulted in airplane's right wingtip impacting the hangar door.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2012 · about 12:00 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · Savannah/Hilton Head Internati · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B90 · all B90s on the register
- Registration
- N275LE · registry record · serial LJ-373
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he taxied his airplane between a parked airplane to his left and a hangar to his right. After clearing the parked airplane, he was looking left in anticipation of a turn in that direction, and the right wingtip of his airplane struck the hangar door, incurring damage to the aft right wing spar. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Towing and taxiing › Taxiing › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incomplete action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,649 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 3,498 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 3, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,303 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 12, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 9,650 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Riddell Enterprises
The flight
- Departed from: FFC Peachtree City GA at 11:00 am
- Destination: SAV Savannah GA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from SAV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 7, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1: Damage to Right Wing Rear Spar (Courtesy of Operator) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N275LE on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft B90 29 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-60A 1,175 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-60A 1,175 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Savannah/Hilton Head International · nearest airport
- Atlanta Regional Falcon Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,801 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12CA382.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.