Beech 400 accident near West Point, Mississippi, January 17, 1990
On January 17, 1990 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Beech 400, registered N3121B, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Point, Mississippi (Mccharen Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT MISJUDGED DISTANCE, SPEED, AND ALTITUDE ON FINAL APPROACH, AND FAILED TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT FOR LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 1990 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- West Point, Mississippi · Mccharen Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 400 · all 400s on the register
- Registration
- N3121B · registry record · serial RJ-21
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THE APCH TO LAND WAS NORMAL UNTIL THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 150 TO 200 FT AGL ON FINAL APCH. HE EASED THE POWER BACK TO FLT IDLE ANTICIPATING A PERFECT LANDING. AS THE ENGS SPOOLED DOWN, HE REALIZED THE ACFT WAS SETTLING QUICKLY, SO HE STARTED ADDING POWER. HOWEVER, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON AN EMBANKMENT ABOUT 6 FT SHORT OF THE RUNWAY, DAMAGING THE LEFT MAIN GEAR. THE ACFT THEN TRAVELED ONTO THE RWY, VEERED LEFT & SLID OFF THE RWY WITH THE RGT MAIN GEAR DAMAGED. SPARKS IGNITED THE GRASS, BUT THE FIRE DID NOT REACH THE ACFT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,764 hours in all; 86 in this make and model; 216 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 4,116 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 15,870 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sara Lee CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: 4R4 Fairhope AL at 4:55 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Observation at 6:00 pm from CBM, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.