Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 accident near Putnam, Texas, February 14, 1990
On February 14, 1990 at about 1:53 pm local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-60, registered N300CW, was destroyed in an accident near Putnam, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN EXCESSIVE ACCUMMULATION OF STRUCTURAL ICING (ON THE AIRCRAFT'S WINGS, STABILIZERS, FUSELAGE, AND/OR ENGINE INLETS), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED AND AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION DUE TO LACK OF AVAILABLE INFORMATION AT THE AUTOMATED FLIGHT SERVICE STATION (AFSS), HIS FAILURE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM OTHER WEATHER STATIONS (EITHER BEFORE TAKEOFF OR DURING THE FLIGHT), HIS LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF AIRCRAFT, AND ICING CONDITIONS AT CRUISE ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 1990 · about 1:53 pm local time
- Place
- Putnam, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 · all MU-2B-60s on the register
- Registration
- N300CW · registry record · serial 795
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BFR TKOF, SAN ANGELO AFSS BRIEFER TOLD THE PLT COMPUTERS WERE DWN IN SOUTH TX FOR 1.5 HRS & NO CURRENT WX INFO WAS AVBL.CURRENT WX INFO WAS AVBL AT NWS AT MIDLAND & FSS'S AT MIDLAND, MCALESTER & DE RIDDER, BUT THE PLT DIDN'T CALL THESE, NORDID THE BRIEFER ADZ HIM TO DO SO. PLT DIDN'T UPDATE WX IN FLT. ABT 38 MIN AFTER TKOF, IN AREA OF POTENTIAL ICING, ACFT SLOWED FM 270 TO 150 KTS GS IN 4 MIN, THEN SLOWED TO 100 KTS IN NEXT 12 SEC. ABT 33 SEC BFR RCHG 100 KTS, PLT RQD DSCNT FM 15,000' TO 13,000'. AT THAT TIME, TRUE GND TRACK WAS APRX 080 DEG WITH WND ALOFT ABT 213 DEG AT 43 KTS. BFR ATC COULDCLR DSCNT, ACFT DSCNDD TO 14,800, THEN RADAR CTC WAS LOST AFTER 1 RTRN AT 9700'. DSCNT RATE BTN LAST 2 ALTS: 12,750 FPM.NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION WAS FND. IMC EXISTED ABV 12,500'. FRZG LVL WAS FCST AT 10,000' TO 12,000'. ACFT WAS CERT FOR FLT IN KNOWN ICING CONDS, BUT STATUS OF ANTI-ICE/DE-ICE EQUIP WASN'T DTRMD DUE TO IMPACT/FIRE DMG. LOW LVLS OF ETHANOL WERE FND IN TOX SAMPLES FM ALL OCCUPANTS; HOWEVER, THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE TOX SAMPLES WERE UNRELIABLE.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,327 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 7, 1990; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,575 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MDD Midland TX at 1:10 pm
- Destination: DAL Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from ABI, 26 miles away
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.