Beech B200 accident near Crystal Bay, Nevada, July 18, 1987
On July 18, 1987 at about 2:30 am local time, a Beech B200, registered N1870S, was destroyed in an accident near Crystal Bay, Nevada (South Lake Tahoe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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 accident. 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
- July 18, 1987 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Crystal Bay, Nevada · South Lake Tahoe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B200 · all B200s on the register
- Registration
- N1870S · no longer on the register · serial BB1106
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN IN IMC, THE FLIGHT WAS CLEARED FOR AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO THE SOUTH LAKE TAHOE AIRPORT, THE INTENDED DESTINATION. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE INITIAL APPROACH FIX ON THE PUBLISHED TRANSITION TO THE FINAL APPROACH COURSE. RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AT 11,400 FEET. AFTERWARD, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED DESCENDING OUT OF CLOUDS AND MANUEVERING ERRATICALLY IN VMC UNTIL IT IMPACTED TERRAIN WITH NO APPARENT ATTEMPT TO RECOVER. MEDICAL RECORDSREVEALED PILOT HAD A HISTORY OF HYPERTENSION, HYPERLIPIDEMIA, AND RECENT LOSS OF 41 POUNDS ON A RIGID WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM. THE AUTOPSY REVEALED SEVERE ARTERIOSCLOROSIS. MEDICAL RECORDS INDICATED THE PILOT HAD BEEN TAKING DIAZIDE INTERMITTENTLY FOR SEVERAL YEARS. POST-ACCIDENT TOX RESULTS WERE NEGATIVE. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE ACCIDENT, IN COMBINATION WITH THE PILOT'S SEVERE DIET, MEDICAL HISTORY, AND POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION RESULTS SUPPORT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE PILOT BECAME INCAPACITATED IN FLIGHT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,995 hours in all; 381 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3,995 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 478 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 14, 1987; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-42 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HWD Hayward CA at 1:44 am
- Destination: 3SW S. Lake Tahoe CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 8,544 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:42 am from 3SW, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.