Beech 1900D incident near Seattle, Washington, January 21, 1997
On January 21, 1997 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N75ZV, suffered minor damage in an incident near Seattle, Washington (Seattle-Tacoma Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an axial shift of the aft flap track bearing's outer roller, resulting in erosion and failure of the flap track bracket/bearing assembly. A factor relating to the incident was: inadequate inspection of the flap roller bearing/bracket assemblies.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 1997 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Seattle-Tacoma Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N75ZV · no longer on the register · serial UE-75
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on final approach, the airplane commenced a rapid, uncommanded roll to the right when the 35-degree flap setting was selected. The flying pilot (1st officer) was able to counter the roll by applying almost full opposite aileron, during which time, he felt the aileron jam momentarily and then break free. The airplane landed without further incident. An examination revealed that the inboard, aft end of the right wing outboard flap was detached from the wing flap track. This resulted in flap asymmetry and mechanical interference with the aileron. The flap track roller bearing was seized and the flap mounting bracket was torn and separated from the bearing. The bearing outer roller was loose and could be shifted axially on the bearing outer ring. This allowed the outer roller flange to wear against and eventually tear through the flap mounting bracket. The operator was not using the most recent (revised) Beech 1900D maintenance manuals at the time of the incident and the airplane had not been subjected to a detailed inspection of the flap roller brackets, roller bearings, and attachment hardware as outlined in revised sections of the manual.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,100 hours in all; 2,850 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,027 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 16, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 16,950 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mesa Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ALW Walla Walla WA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: SEA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16L, 11,410 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:59 pm from SEA, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N75ZV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.