Beech 100 incident near Kenly, North Carolina, April 5, 1997
On April 5, 1997 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Beech 100, registered N402G, suffered minor damage in an incident near Kenly, North Carolina. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate inspection procedures by the airframe manufacturer for failure to require removal of the metal retaining ring to inspect the entire area of the window for cracks.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1997 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kenly, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 100 · all 100s on the register
- Registration
- N402G · no longer on the register · serial B-14
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 15 minutes after departure while climbing through 12,000 to 12,500 feet, at a cabin differential pressure of 4.3 psi, the pilot's flight compartment side 'D' window separated with a resulting rapid decompression. The pilot diverted to the destination airport and landed uneventfully. Post incident examination of the failed window revealed evidence of preexisting cracks that originated at the external surface of the window at the transition radius between the window flange and the center portion of the window. The failed window had accumulated 4,008 hours since replacement at failure and was the latest design. Review of the inspection requirements for the window which is scheduled to occur every 600 hours revealed that the metal retaining ring is not required to be removed for inspection.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,758 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 9, 1997; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,600 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISO Kinston NC at 3:15 pm
- Destination: GSO Greensboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from ISO
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.