Beech C90 accident near Boise, Idaho, May 10, 2012
On May 10, 2012, a Beech C90, registered N14CP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boise, Idaho. It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Excessive loading on the left wing, which occurred over a period of time. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s failure to adequately inspect and document the left wing damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2012
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech C90 · all C90s on the register
- Registration
- N14CP · registry record · serial LJ-585
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had been contracted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for 6 months, and it was primarily used in fire management activities in low-level lead airplane and air attack missions; these type of operations were susceptible to turbulent conditions. BLM provided the pilots, and the contract company provided the airplane and maintenance personnel. During a postcontract inspection, maintenance personnel found substantial damage to the outer left wing. The BLM reported that, about 1 month into the 6-month contract period, a BLM pilot and contract mechanic noted deformation and wrinkling damage to the left wing; the mechanic inspected the area, and it was subsequently monitored for further damage. Three months later, the BLM pilot reported to a relief mechanic that he had encountered moderate turbulence. The mechanic subsequently completed a turbulent air inspection but noted no damage and considered the airplane airworthy. When the contract mechanic returned to work, he inspected the airplane and told the pilot that the wrinkle appeared to be "a little worse"; however, no actions were taken. The airplane was subsequently flown until the contract expired without incident. A review of the maintenance logbooks found no entries related to any maintenance actions or inspections of the damaged left wing. About 2 months after the contract expired, the contract company's maintenance personnel observed that the damage had worsened. The damage was consistent with the wing assembly having experienced loading in excess of its normal operating limits, likely during turbulent conditions. The airplane was then taken out of service for repairs. The damage was likely cumulative as the airplane was flown in turbulent conditions. If the maintenance inspections had been documented in the logbooks, it likely would have necessitated further inspection by maintenance personnel and resulted in the airplane's removal from service at an earlier date.
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
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › Plates/skins (on wing) › Capability exceeded
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Record › keeping › Aircraft/maintenance logs › Maintenance personnel
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Maintenance personnel
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Related records
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,595 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 2012; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,485 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 12,709 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 12,229 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR12TA445.