British Aerospace 3201 accident near Bullhead City, Arizona, July 27, 1989
On July 27, 1989 at about 3:25 am local time, a British Aerospace 3201, registered N332QC, was involved in an accident near Bullhead City, Arizona (Bullhead Laughlin airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured; 19 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE DEPLANING PASSENGER'S FAILURE TO OBSERVE A RAISED AND MARKED AREA IN THE PASSENGER CABIN FLOOR EXIT AISLE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE FUSELAGE FLOOR EXIT AISLE WAS DESIGNED WITH A RAISED AREA WHICH PARTIALLY OBSTRUCTED ITS USE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1989 · about 3:25 am local time
- Place
- Bullhead City, Arizona · Bullhead Laughlin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 19 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace 3201
- Registration
- N332QC · no longer on the register · serial 818
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DEPLANING AT NIGHT, A PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED WHEN SHE TRIPPED AGAINST THE WING SPAR HUMP IN THE CABIN FLOOR MAIN EXIT AISLE. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT THE SPAR HUMP WAS VISIBLY MARKED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,084 hours in all; 1,640 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 5,266 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,314 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE 331-12 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHU Lake Havasu AZ at 3:05 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 17 |
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.