Beech 1900D incident near Albany, New York, October 16, 2003
On October 16, 2003 at about 12:05 pm local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N850CA, was involved in an incident near Albany, New York (Albany International Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The maintenance technician's improper maintenance performed on the airplane, and his failure to perform a functional check, which resulted in a restricted movement of the elevator trim wheel. Factors were the captain's inadequate preflight inspection, and insufficient information in the manufacturer's maintenance manual.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 2003 · about 12:05 pm local time
- Place
- Albany, New York · Albany International Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N850CA · registry record · serial UE 403
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, the flightcrew was unable to rotate the airplane, and the takeoff was aborted uneventfully. Examination of the airplane revealed that when the elevator trim wheel in the cockpit was positioned to neutral, the elevator trim was actually in the full nose-down position. The elevator trim wheel could not be physically moved lower than 3 units of nose up trim. The incident flight was the first flight after maintenance, in which the elevator trim wheel was removed and reinstalled. The maintenance technician did not index the trim wheel when he removed it, and reinstalled the trim wheel incorrectly. In addition, the maintenance did not contain a procedure to remove and reinstall the elevator trim wheel. Following the maintenance, no functional check of the elevator trim system was performed. When the captain performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, he did not set the elevator trim wheel to the setting prescribed on the preflight checklist, and he failed to detect the error.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,100 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 1,800 as pilot in command; 440 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 18, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,850 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 2,250 as pilot in command; 1,600 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 15, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,883 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 29, 2003; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 17,120 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada pt6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALB Albany NY at 12:05 pm
- Destination: HPN White Plains NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 7,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 am from ALB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.