Amateur-built DHC-8-101 incident near Seattle, Washington, June 19, 1987
On June 19, 1987 at about 9:15 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-8-101, registered N813PH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Seattle, Washington (Boeing Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 41 people were on board or involved. 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 incident. 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
- June 19, 1987 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Boeing Field · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 41 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-8-101
- Registration
- N813PH · registry record · serial 032
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CREW OF THE SCHEDULED AIRLINE PASSENGER FLIGHT EXPERIENCED AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE IN THE RIGHT ENGINE AT APPROX 800 FT AGL DURING INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PILOT SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN, ACTIVATED TWO FIRE BOTTLES, WHICH EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. A HIGH PRESSURE FUEL CONTROL UNIT FUEL RETURN LINE, INSTALLED NEAR THE STARTER GENERATOR, WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING. A LABORATORY EXAMINATION REVEALED PREVIOUS EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE LINE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,841 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 12, 1987; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 34,500 lb
- Seats: 44
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW-120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Air Industries, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 9:10 pm
- Destination: PDX Portland OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13R, 10,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from SEA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 37 |
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.