Beech 65-A90 accident near Wheeling, West Virginia, November 14, 1997
On November 14, 1997 at about 2:41 am local time, a Beech 65-A90, registered N80GP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wheeling, West Virginia (Wheeling airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the pilot to maintain the minimum required airspeed while operating in icing conditions which resulted in ice accumulations and an inadvertent stall while on approach. Factors were the icing conditions and the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1997 · about 2:41 am local time
- Place
- Wheeling, West Virginia · Wheeling · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-A90 · all 65-A90s on the register
- Registration
- N80GP · no longer on the register · serial LJ 137
- 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 pilots reported they experienced an engine fire during a missed approach in night, IMC conditions, and feathered the propeller and shut down the engine. On an approach to another airport, the airplane touched down short of the runway, traveled onto the runway, and then departed the left side of the runway. The pilot reported he could not maintain altitude due to ice accumulations, and the lack of power with one engine shut down. Examination of the wreckage revealed rotational damage to both engines and propellers consistent with operating engines. Neither propeller was in the feathered position. The pilot had been briefed about known moderate icing conditions, and isolated severe icing. The AFM recommended a minimum speed in icing conditions of 140 knots, and at less than 140 knots, ice could accumulate on the wings in unprotected areas. The pilot reported he flew the approach at 114 knots.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,290 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 12, 1997; 116 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,650 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skyward Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: TRI Bristol TN at 1:00 am
- Destination: AFJ Washington PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from HLG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.