Beech 1900D Lost Control Moments After Take-Off | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sun, Aug 31, 2003

Beech 1900D Lost Control Moments After Take-Off

Crash Reminiscent Of Charlotte US Airways Accident

NTSB investigators exploring the watery crash of a Beech 1900D off the coast of Cape Cod (MA) earlier this week say it happened with incredible speed. Paul Schlamm, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the aircraft was only seconds into the flight, the aircraft nosed down at a 30 degree angle and reached 250 kts before slamming into the water.

The Colgan Air flight was headed from Hyannis to Albany (NY) when it both descended and accelerated. Both crew members on board the flight, Capt. Scott Knabe, 39, and First Officer Steven Dean, 38, were killed. There were no passengers on board the flight. Colgan Air is a contract carrier for Express.

The Associated Press reports two of the four NTSB investigators probing Tuesday's crash are veterans of another disaster involving some of the same players. Twenty-one people died when a Beech 1900D which had just lifted off from Charlotte-Douglas veered sharply and dove into the ground on January 8th.

"Because they're knowledgeable about the North Carolina accident, they would be alert for anything that relates to the two," Schlamm said.

Telltale Signs

Investigators say three key control elements were replaced on the aircraft just the night before the Colgan Air flight went down. Both trim actuators and the forward elevator trim cable were brand new on the aircraft at the time of the crash.

In the fatal Charlotte crash, preliminary reports indicate an incorrect cable adjustment caused extreme variations in pitch. Further, initial reports in the Charlotte tragedy say the maintenance manual issued by Beech's parent company, Raytheon contained instructions on cable adjustments that were "inadequate."

In both cases, the Beech 1900Ds went down immediately upon take-off. In both cases, control issues were apparent as the aircraft broke ground. In both cases, the aircraft had just undergone maintenance.

The NTSB's preliminary report on the Cape Cod crash is due out in about 10 days.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov/aviation/aviation.htm

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC