Beech 100 accident near Uvalde, Texas, March 28, 1990
On March 28, 1990 at about 1:35 am local time, a Beech 100, registered N696JB, was destroyed in an accident near Uvalde, Texas (Garner Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURE BY THE PILOT BY NOT MAINTAINING THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, LOW CEILING, FOG, AND RAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 1990 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Uvalde, Texas · Garner Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 100 · all 100s on the register
- Registration
- N696JB · no longer on the register · serial B13
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOTS WERE MAKING AN NDB APPROACH TO AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT THAT WAS 941 FEET MSL. THE NDB WAS 1.8 NM FROM THE AIRPORT, AND THE PILOTS WERE SUPPOSED TO MAINTAIN MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) OF 1,540 FEET UNTIL THE RUNWAY WAS IN SIGHT. PRIOR TO THE CRASH, ATC HAD TOLD THEM THAT THEY WERE 15 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES FROM THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TOP OF A HILL, AT A POINT 990 FEET MSL. THE AIRPLANE WAS DEMOLISHED BY IMPACT AND POST-IMPACT FIRE. THE WEATHER WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 300 FEET OVERCAST AND ONE MILE VISIBILITY. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE REPORTED OR DISCOVERED. THE LACK OF A LOCAL ALTIMETER SETTING INCREASED THE MDA BY 240 FEET.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 27,725 hours in all; 2,700 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 26,851 as pilot in command; 8,010 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 12, 1989; 148 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,600 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: COT Cotulla TX at 1:19 am
- Destination: UVA Uvalde TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 5,250 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.