Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 accident near Utica, New York, April 6, 1989
On April 6, 1989 at about 6:40 am local time, a Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600, registered N90437, was substantially damaged in an accident near Utica, New York (Onieda County airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A FIRE IN THE COCKPIT FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1989 · about 6:40 am local time
- Place
- Utica, New York · Onieda County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 AEROSTAR 6
- Registration
- N90437 · registry record · serial 600243100
- 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 ACFT WAS APRX 40 MI SOUTH OF UTICA, NY, WHEN THE PLT NOTIFIED ATC THAT HE WAS GETTING SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. AS A LANDING WAS MADE AT UTICA, A FIRE ERUPTED IN THE COCKPIT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE COCKPIT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY FIRE. DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE WAS NOT DETERMINED. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND WITH THE ENG OR PROPELLER.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,840 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1F5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Check, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.