Beech 200 accident near Burbank, California, September 3, 2018
On September 3, 2018 at about 10:55 pm local time, a 1990 Beech 200, registered N97WC, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Burbank, California (Bob Hope 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's and pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain clearance from a tree while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2018 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Burbank, California · Bob Hope · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200 B200, built 1990 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N97WC · registry record · serial BB-1382
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, with the pilot receiving instruction on the controls and while taxiing to parking, ground personnel instructed them to turn 180º and then park. The instructor added that, during the right turn, after clearing a vehicle, he saw a tree and tried to apply brakes, but the airplane impacted the tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The operator's director of maintenance reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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 (from runway) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 122,017 hours in all; 594 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 5,304 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 25, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,275 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,196 as pilot in command; 853 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 17, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,476.7 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 25, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt And Whitney PT6A-42 (turboprop); 7,771 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42 (turboprop); 10,083 hours total
- Operator: West Coast Charters, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 8:22 pm
- Destination: BUR Burbank CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KBUR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA18CA528.