Beech 1900C incident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 26, 1988
On January 26, 1988 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech 1900C, registered N818BE, was involved in an incident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 1988 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900C · all 1900Cs on the register
- Registration
- N818BE · no longer on the register · serial UB-61
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BEECH 1900C TOOK OFF ON A SCHEDULED COMMUTER FLT. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LEVEL THE AIRCRAFT AT 5000 FT, THE CO-PILOT WAS UNABLE TO PUSH THE CONTROL WHEEL FORWARD FAR ENOUGH TO LEVEL OFF. BY REDUCING POWER, THE CREW WAS ABLE TO COMPENSATE. THE CREW SUBSEQUENTLY RETURNED FOR A NORMAL LANDING AND ALL OCCUPANTS DEPLANNED NORMALLY. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DISCLOSED THAT A SHOP RAG HAD BECOME JAMMED IN THE ELEVATOR CONTROL PULLEY UNDER THE PILOTS SEAT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN OPERATED FOR 21 HOURS SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION WHERE THE FLOOR PLATES IN THE COCKPIT WERE OPENED.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 3,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27,900 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 23, 1988; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,000 lb
- Seats: 19
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-65B (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Philadelphia PA at 10:45 pm
- Destination: BDL Windsor Locks CT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 290° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 12 |
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.