Beech 99-C99 accident near Meadview, Arizona, October 15, 1997
On October 15, 1997 at about 4:24 pm local time, a Beech 99-C99, registered N227AV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Meadview, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision, inadequate visual lookout, and his failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance. Contributing was low altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1997 · about 4:24 pm local time
- Place
- Meadview, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 99-C99 · all 99-C99s on the register
- Registration
- N227AV · registry record · serial U227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain saw a car trailing smoke along a dirt road and decided to descend from his en route altitude and investigate. After overflying the car, he continued flying over the road at low level until the first officer warned of wires. He was unable to react in time to avoid striking the wires. After the collision, the captain elected to continue to his destination. During the approach, they heard a loud thud and the left engine began shaking. The captain reduced the power and declared an emergency. After a positive visual gear check by the tower, the captain landed the aircraft. The crew shut down the left engine as they taxied to the ramp. Broken sections of wire were found embedded in the forward fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The tip of one blade was missing from the left propeller and the nose section was shattered. Neither of the ground witnesses reported any malfunction with their vehicles during this time.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,391 hours in all; 2,141 in this make and model; 186 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 4,391 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,720 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 8, 1997; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,300 lb
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-36 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ at 3:30 pm
- Destination: L15 Henderson NV
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from LAS, 60 miles away
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.