Beechcraft 1900D N159YV

Summary

On 7 February 1996 at about 21:00 local time, a Beechcraft 1900D registered N159YV, operated by Liberty Airlines, was involved in an accident near Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States. 16 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 February 1996 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Bradford Regional (BFD)

Coordinates

41.9594, -78.6404

Aircraft

Beechcraft 1900D

Registration

N159YV

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Liberty Airlines

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pittsburgh → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC96LA058

2 people had minor injuries.

the pilot misjudged the flare during landing. Factors in the accident were: an improper recovery from a bounced landing, and the first officers lack of experience in this type operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The first officer (FO) was on the controls, and had completed the VOR-DME approach, which had been notamed 'out of service' at the time of the accident. A witness observed the airplane in a high flare above the runway threshold, watched it drop vertically, landing hard on the main landing gear, bounce and bank to the left. The left wing struck the runway, the airplane veered to the left, and departed the runway. The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) Study showed that while on approach, the airplane rolled approximately 20 degrees to the right. During this roll 'it appears that full power was applied to the engines.' The right engine reached full power about '2 seconds' before the left engine, and this occurrence was immediately followed by a 38 degree roll to the left and then a three-plus 'g' spike in the vertical acceleration when the wings became level again. According to the captain's statement, he took control of the airplane after it yawed from right to left. The flight initially touched down at 584 feet from the end of Runway 14, the left wing tip touched the pavement three separate times before the aircraft departed the runway at a 40 degree angle, traveling through rough terrain and coming to rest approximately 1148 feet from the point where it exited the runway. The FO's date of hire was 1/9/96, and this was her first line trip with the airline.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.