46 Years ago today: On 30 April 1974 a Houston Metro Beechcraft 99 crashed near Galveston, TX; killing 6 out of 12 on board.
| Date: | Tuesday 30 April 1974 |
| Time: | 13:47 |
| Type: | Beechcraft 99 Airliner |
| Operator: | Metro Airlines |
| Registration: | N853SA |
| C/n / msn: | U- 41 |
| First flight: | 1968 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 10 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 12 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | Galveston-Scholes Field, TX (GLS) ( United States of America) |
| Phase: | Initial climb (ICL) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Galveston-Scholes Field, TX (GLS/KGLS), United States of America |
| Destination airport: | Houston-Intercontinental Airport, TX (IAH/KIAH), United States of America |
Narrative:
The crew left Galveston in a hurry because they were 10 minutes behind schedule. The passengers did not get a safety briefing and the captain left the trim stabilizer in the standby position. Control was lost on takeoff and the airplane crashed and caught fire. To make things worse, the fire truck attending the scene was not equipped with a foam extinguisher.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE:
pilot in command – inadequate preflight preparation and/or planning
pilot in command – lack of familiarity with aircraft
pilot in command – misused or failed to use flaps
miscellaneous acts,conditions – gust locks engaged
FACTORS:
miscellaneous acts,conditions – checklist-failed to use
personnel – airport supervisory personnel: other
