Beech 1900D accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 15, 1997
On October 15, 1997 at about 11:00 am local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N162ZV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person had minor injuries; 14 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the tug driver's failure to obey a stop sign and his failure to yield right-of-way to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1997 · about 11:00 am local time
- Place
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Pittsburgh International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 14 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N162ZV · no longer on the register · serial UE-162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The First Officer was taxiing the airplane to the gate after landing. The airplane was traveling south on a taxiway when the Captain noticed a baggage tug approaching on an access road perpendicular to the taxiway from the left, traveling west. The Captain applied the brakes to stop the airplane; however, the tug continued and collided with the airplane's left wing. The tug driver said he may have lost consciousness after striking a bump in the access road. The police reported the bump was at the point where the access road intersected the taxiway, and the intersection was controlled by a stop sign on the access road. The Police Officer issued a citation to the tug driver for violation of a county ordinance, which stated, 'Aircraft always have the right-of-way in the AOA. Vehicles needing to traverse an AOA ramp shall...obey all posted signage.'
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,153 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 16,950 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YNG Youngstown OH at 10:30 am
- Destination: PIT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 am from PIT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.