Beech F90 accident near Monroe, Georgia, February 9, 2000
On February 9, 2000 at about 2:05 pm local time, a Beech F90, registered N101ET, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monroe, Georgia (Monroe-Walton County airport). It was a business 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
chafed wiring that resulted in an electrical short which initiated the landing gear retraction cycle when cabin heat was activated, resulting in the main landing gear retracting during taxi.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 2000 · about 2:05 pm local time
- Place
- Monroe, Georgia · Monroe-Walton County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F90 · all F90s on the register
- Registration
- N101ET · no longer on the register · serial LA172
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that while taxiing for takeoff he selected max ground heat, and immediately experienced main gear retraction. The tail dropped suddenly, impacting the ramp, and the airplane slid about 30 feet before coming to rest. An FAA inspector and a manufacturer's representative examined the airplane, and found that a partially spiral wrapped wiring bundle, tied in the vicinity of the aileron control cables and turnbuckle, had some wires which had chafed. The wiring insulation had been removed due to friction exerted against either the turnbuckle, or the cable. The manufacturer's representative stated that two of the wires which had chafed through electrically shorted together when the pilot selected max ground heat, activating the landing gear's relay, and initiating the landing gear retraction cycle while the aircraft was on the ground.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,534 hours in all; 1,285 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,239 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,620 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 9, 1999; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,950 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-135 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D73 Monroe GA at 2:05 pm
- Destination: AIK Aiken SC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 053° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from AHN, 20 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.