Beech 1900D accident near Bradford, Pennsylvania, February 7, 1996
On February 7, 1996 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N159YV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bradford, Pennsylvania (Bradford Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 14 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot misjudged the flare during landing. Factors in the accident were: an improper recovery from a bounced landing, and the first officers lack of experience in this type operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1996 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bradford, Pennsylvania · Bradford Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 14 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N159YV · no longer on the register · serial UE159
- 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 first officer (FO) was on the controls, and had completed the VOR-DME approach, which had been notamed 'out of service' at the time of the accident. A witness observed the airplane in a high flare above the runway threshold, watched it drop vertically, landing hard on the main landing gear, bounce and bank to the left. The left wing struck the runway, the airplane veered to the left, and departed the runway. The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) Study showed that while on approach, the airplane rolled approximately 20 degrees to the right. During this roll 'it appears that full power was applied to the engines.' The right engine reached full power about '2 seconds' before the left engine, and this occurrence was immediately followed by a 38 degree roll to the left and then a three-plus 'g' spike in the vertical acceleration when the wings became level again. According to the captain's statement, he took control of the airplane after it yawed from right to left. The flight initially touched down at 584 feet from the end of Runway 14, the left wing tip touched the pavement three separate times before the aircraft departed the runway at a 40 degree angle, traveling through rough terrain and coming to rest approximately 1148 feet from the point where it exited the runway. The FO's date of hire was 1/9/96, and this was her first line trip with the airline.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,962 hours in all; 1,581 in this make and model; 233 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 4,469 as pilot in command; 313 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,135 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 4, 1996; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 17,060 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Liberty Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: PIT Pittsburgh PA at 8:10 pm
- Destination: BFD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 6,499 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from BFD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.