Beech 80 accident near Littlefork, Minnesota, September 21, 1989
On September 21, 1989 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Beech 80, registered N132BA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Littlefork, Minnesota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
TOTAL FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DURING IFR OPERATIONS & THE AIRCRAFT'S COLLISION WITH A ROCK FENCE DURING THE SUBSEQUENT GEAR-UP PRECAUTIONARY LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1989 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Littlefork, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 80
- Registration
- N132BA · registry record · serial LD-331
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT, DURING AN IFR CARGO OPERATION, THE AIRCRAFT HAD A TOTAL LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER. HE DESCENDED TO VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS AND ELECTED TO ATTEMPT AN OFF-AIRPORT LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. HE WAS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR MANUALLY SO DECIDED TO LAND GEAR UP. THE ACFT SLID FOR CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE IN THE FIELD, THEN STRUCK A ROCK FENCE. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A BROKEN WIRE ON AN ELECTRICAL CANNON PLUG, LOCATED ON THE RIGHT ENGINE FIREWALL, THAT HAD SHORTED OUT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,270 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 160 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,814 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 4, 1989; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bemidji Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HIB Hibbing MN at 12:50 pm
- Destination: INL Intern'L Falls MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from HIB, 60 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.
Other NTSB records under N132BA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.