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:
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
Loss of control
» NTSB
» The Victoria Advocate - May 1, 1974
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Tuesday 30 April 1974 |
| Time: | 13:47 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 99 Airliner |
| Operator: | Metro Airlines |
| Registration: | N853SA |
| 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 |
| Houston-Intercontinental Airport, TX (IAH/KIAH), United States of America |
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
Classification:
Locked rudders/ailerons/gustlock Loss of control
Sources:
» Flight International 09 May 1974 (573)» NTSB
» The Victoria Advocate - May 1, 1974
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Galveston-Scholes Field, TX to Houston-Intercontinental Airport, TX as the crow flies is 92 km (57 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Galveston-Scholes Field, TX to Houston-Intercontinental Airport, TX as the crow flies is 92 km (57 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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