Beech G18S accident near Crosbyton, Texas, October 6, 1997
On October 6, 1997 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Beech G18S, registered N9312Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crosbyton, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate maintenance which resulted in diminished carburetor heat effectiveness due to missing alternate air doors. Contributing were conducive carburetor icing weather conditions, low ceilings during the emergency descent, and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1997 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Crosbyton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech G18S · all G18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N9312Y · no longer on the register · serial BA-550
- 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
While in cruise flight at 9,000 feet MSL, the left engine began to 'run rough and lose power.' The pilot said he interpreted the problem as carburetor icing and applied carburetor heat. With the engine still running rough, the left propeller was feathered and the left engine shut down. Restart attempts were not successful. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot requested to land at a nearby airport. After descending through IMC weather, the pilot realized that he would not make it to the airport, and executed a forced landing to rough/uneven terrain. Examination of the engines revealed that the alternate air doors were missing on the right and left engine. The hinges for the doors were attached to both carburetors and showed no evidence of distortion or impact damage. The doors were not found at the wreckage site. A missing alternate air door would allow ambient air to enter the carburetor, rendering the carburetor heating system ineffective. According to carburetor icing probability charts, the reported temperature and dew point values would be favorable to the formation of induction system icing.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,222 hours in all; 1,328 in this make and model; 237 in the last 90 days; 76 in the last 30 days; 3,048 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,974 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 10, 1997; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBB Lubbock TX at 10:30 pm
- Destination: DFW Dfw Intnl. TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from LBB, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.