Beech E-90 accident near Locust Grove, Arkansas, November 19, 1988
On November 19, 1988, a Beech E-90, registered N308PS, was destroyed in an accident near Locust Grove, Arkansas (Batesville Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN OBSTACLE CLEARANCE ALTITUDE AND EXCEEDING THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE PUBLISHED IN THE APPROACH PROCEDURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1988
- Place
- Locust Grove, Arkansas · Batesville Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech E-90 · all E-90s on the register
- Registration
- N308PS · no longer on the register · serial LW-92
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BFR & DRG FLT, THE PLT RCVD INFO ABOUT TSTMS IN THE VICINITY OF THE DESTN ARPT. DRG ARR, THE PLT WAS GIVEN THE LITTLE ROCK ALTIMETER SETTING. HE WAS CLRD TO DSCND & CROSS THE NDB (INITIAL APCH FIX) AT OR ABV 3100' MSL, THEN WAS CLRD FOR THE APCH. ABOUT 7-1/2 MIN LATER, THE PLT DECLARED A MISSED APCH & REQUESTED ANOTHER. HE ACKNOWLEDGED CLNC FOR THE 2ND APCH, THEN THERE WAS NO FURTHER RADIO CONTACT WITH THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED ON HIGH (MTN) TERRAIN ABOUT 6-1/2 MI WSW OF THE ARPT. IMPACT OCCURRED WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON AN EASTERLY HEADING AT ABOUT 1195' MSL. MIN ALT FOR THE APCH WAS 2300' UNTIL ESTABLISHED INBOUND FROM THE NDB, THEN WHEN USING A LITTLE ROCK ALTIMETER SETTING, A MIN ALT OF 1860' WAS REQUIRED UNTIL PASSING THE BAIKS FAN MARKER, 4.6 MI FROM THE RWY. A PLT, WHO WAS WAITING TO DEPART THE AIRPORT, ESTIMATED THERE WAS A VARIABLE OVERCAST AT 300' TO 700' & THE VIS WAS 1 TO 2 MI WITH RAIN. THE ARPT ELEV WAS 464'.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,964 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 29, 1987; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: M & L Aircraft, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORG Orange TX at 10:30 pm
- Destination: BVX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 6,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.