Beech BE 100 accident near Houston, Texas, September 16, 1989
On September 16, 1989 at about 1:55 pm local time, a Beech BE 100, registered N204AJ, was destroyed in an accident near Houston, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING PREPARATION & THE IMPROPER INFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PIC WHEN HE FAILED TO REFUEL THE AIRCRAFT WHICH RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1989 · about 1:55 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE 100
- Registration
- N204AJ · no longer on the register · serial B10
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS ON A POSITIONING FLIGHT AND HAD TWO PASSENGERS ALONG FOR THE RIDE. THE AIRPLANE WAS ON BASE LEG WHEN THE LEFT ENGINE SPUTTERED. THE PILOT TURNED ON THE SECONDARY BOOST PUMP AND THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY UNTIL BOTH ENGINES FLAMED OUT. DURING THE FORCED LANDING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, THE AIRPLANE HIT A POWERLINE, TREES, A HOUSE, A FIREPLUG, A TREE AND A VAN, THEN ANOTHER HOUSE. THERE WAS NO SMELL OF FUEL IN THE ENTIRE AREA, AND NO USABLE FUEL IN THE FUEL SYSTEM.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,787 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 281 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 2,155 as pilot in command; 982 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,351 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 23, 1989; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,600 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NEW New Orleans LA at 12:30 pm
- Destination: HOU
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from HOU, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.