Beechcraft 1900D N261GL

Summary

On 26 March 2008 at about 19:20 local time, a Beechcraft 1900D registered N261GL, operated by Great Lakes Aviation, was involved in an incident near Page, Arizona, United States. 13 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 March 2008 at 19:20

Classification

Incident

Location

Page, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Page Municipal (PGA)

Coordinates

36.9258, -111.4483

Aircraft

Beechcraft 1900D

Registration

N261GL

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Great Lakes Aviation

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Page → Farmington

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA08IA096

Nobody was injured.

The flight crew’s unprofessional behavior and deviation from standard operating procedures which resulted in an in-flight emergency.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The scheduled air carrier was departing from an airport. During taxi, cockpit voice recorder data indicated that the first officer was stating and verifying the checklists, as well as taxiing the airplane. Company standard operating procedures required that those checklists be called out by one crewmember and verified by the other. The flight crew spoke of personal matters and did not follow the sterile cockpit regulations as specified by 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 21.542. The captain stated that during takeoff, the cargo door light illuminated, the aft cargo door opened, and the flight crew returned to land at the airport. According to the airplane manufacturer, if the door is not closed and locked, a cockpit light will illuminate indicating that the door is not secure. Following the accident, operation of the door and functionality of the cockpit indicator light were verified. The cargo door indicator light is to be checked by both crewmembers on the Before Takeoff checklist. Due to the flight crew’s lack of professionalism and deviation from standard operating procedures, they most likely did not see that the light was illuminated prior to departure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.