Beechcraft 1900C N111AX

Summary

On 18 October 2010 at about 15:00 local time, a Beechcraft 1900C registered N111AX, operated by Alaska Central Express Inc, was involved in an accident near Sitka, Alaska, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2010 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sitka, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Sitka (PASI)

Coordinates

57.0469, -135.3614

Aircraft

Beechcraft 1900C

Registration

N111AX

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Alaska Central Express Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Juneau → Juneau

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ANC11LA004

Nobody was injured.

A lightning strike which resulted in substantial damage to the elevator.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The captain, who was the non-flying pilot, reported that he altered their course to avoid thunderstorm activity. Once clear of the thunderstorms, they flew direct to the initial instrument approach fix. During the instrument approach to land, the flight crew saw a build up of static electricity, known as St. Elmo's fire, near the nose of the airplane. The first officer reported that the light from the static electricity was very bright, and he decided to keep his eyes focused on the instruments. Shortly thereafter, lightning struck the nose of the airplane and the associated flash temporarily blinded the captain. The first officer continued to fly the approach without difficulty. Once the captain regained his sight, he took the flight controls and completed the landing. During a postaccident inspection of the airplane, the flight crew discovered substantial damage to the right elevator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.