Beech C90 accident near Gold Beach, Oregon, August 21, 1989
On August 21, 1989 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Beech C90, registered N25ST, was destroyed in an accident near Gold Beach, Oregon (Gold Beach airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO INITIATE A GO-AROUND AFTER EMERGING FROM A FOG BANK ON A SHORT FINAL WHICH RESULTED IN INADEQUATE AIRSPEED AND A STALL. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGEMENT IN ATTEMPTING THE VFR APPROACH IN IMC CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1989 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Gold Beach, Oregon · Gold Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C90 · all C90s on the register
- Registration
- N25ST · registry record · serial LJ-507
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES HEARD THE AIRPLANE CIRCLE TWICE BEFORE THE APPROACH. A FOG BANK HAD JUST ROLLED INTO THE AREA AND VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED TO APPRX 1 MILE WITH THE BASES AT 200 TO 300 FEET. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED EMERGING FROM THE FOG IN A STEEP LEFT TURN AND DESCENDING RAPIDLY; RIGHT OF CENTER LINE, ON A ONE MILE FINAL. THE LEFT BANK ANGLE INCREASED TO NEAR 90 DEGREES WHEN THE NOSE DIPPED DOWN AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A PARKED VEHICLE 150 FEET RIGHT OF CENTERLINE AND 50 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. UNICOM NOT MANNED. NO RADIO IN AMBULANCE ON GROUND. BASIC WEATHER DATA SHOWN FROM NORTH BEND, 60 MILES NORTH.
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: 4,082 hours in all; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,663 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 10, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 9,650 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MFR Medford OR at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 34, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from OTH, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.