Beechcraft Model 99
| Beechcraft Model 99 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Feeder aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1966 |
| Commissioning: |
1968 |
| Production time: |
1966-1975, 1981-1987 |
| Number of pieces: |
239 |
The Beechcraft Model 99 is a twin-engine feeder aircraft of the Beech Aircraft Corporation , which is equipped with two turboprop engines and was built from 1966 to 1987, with an interruption from 1976 to 1980. It does not have a pressurized cabin .
Development history
The development of the Beech 99 began in 1965. The aim was to find a successor to the outdated Beechcraft 18 . Beech used structural elements from the successful Queen Air series (wings) and the King Air series (engines) as well as a newly designed fuselage.
The first flight of the first prototype took place in July 1966 . On May 2, 1968, delivery to customers began with a machine to Commuter Airlines . By 1986, 239 Beech 99 had been built in various cabin layouts (up to 17 passengers).
The few 99 that still fly today are mostly converted to freighters or for special tasks.
Model variants
The series differ as follows:
-
Beech 99: 101 built.
- 99 airliners : twin-engine feeder aircraft, 4,720 kg max. Take-off weight, designed for two pilots and up to 15 passengers. Two 410 kW (550 shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprop engines.
- 99 Executive : Business travel version of the 99 airliners.
-
Beech 99A: 43 built.
- 99A Airliner : Corresponds to the 99 Airliner, but powered by two more powerful 507 kW (680 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 turboprop engines, higher maximum take-off weight, greater range.
-
Beech A99A: 1 built.
- A99A Airliner : Single item, 99A Airliner without hydrofoil tanks .
-
Beech B99: 18 built.
- B99 Airliner : Improved version, 4944 kg max. Takeoff weight and powered by two 507 kW (680 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 engines. Some 99 and 99A were retrofitted to this version.
- B99 Executive : Business travel version of the B99 Airliner.
-
Beech C99: 76 built.
- C99 Airliner (initially C99 Commuter): first flight on June 20, 1980; 5100 kg max. Takeoff weight, Pratt & Whitney PT6A-36 engines with 715 shp power. Improved electrical system and landing gear, stronger wing spars.
Military users
Incidents
From the first flight in 1966 to February 2019, the Beech 99 suffered 54 total write-offs. 177 people were killed in 29 of them. Examples:
- On June 20, 1969, a Cascade Airways Beechcraft Model 99 (N2550A) crashed immediately after taking off from Pasco-Tri Cities Airport in Washington State . The causes of the accident were determined to be a Flettner rudder trimmed up to the end position , as well as the fact that the captain's seat was not locked and slid backwards into the end position when taking off. Both pilots, the only occupants of the machine, were killed. It was the first fatal incident involving a Beechcraft Model 99 (see also Cascade Airways accident in 1969 ) .
- On July 6, 1969, an Air South Beechcraft Model 99 ( aircraft registration number N844NS ) crashed ten kilometers northwest of Monroe, Georgia . About eleven minutes after the aircraft had reached its cruising altitude of 7,000 ft, the elevator trim began to trim the elevator up to the stop ( full nose down position). Despite the remedial measures introduced six seconds later, the strength of both pilots was insufficient to overcome the extremely trimmed position of the elevator with the control horn and to intercept the machine. As a result, the plane went into a nosedive; the resulting high speed meant that both wings exceeded their load limits and broke off a few hundred feet above the ground before the aircraft finally hit the ground almost vertically. The NTSB was unable to determine the cause of the malfunction of the trim, but attributed the design of the entire control system to a beneficial role in causing the loss of control. All 12 passengers and the two crew members were killed in this incident (see also Air South flight 168 ) .
- On March 31, 1974, an Air South Beechcraft Model 99 (N848NS) caught fire of unknown cause while taxiing at Malcolm McKinnon Airport in Brunswick, Georgia . The two-man crew and their two passengers, who were on their way to Atlanta, were able to leave the plane; the aircraft, however, was destroyed and had to be written off.
- On June 8, 1992, three out of six occupants of a Beechcraft C99 operated by GP Express Airlines (N118GP) died when the machine was flown off-road near Anniston, Alabama ( controlled flight into the ground ). The investigators attributed the accident to the deployment of a poorly trained and inexperienced crew, who had a lack of situational awareness prior to the collision and were wrong about the nature of the terrain.
- On April 28, 1993 a Beechcraft C99 of GP Express Airlines (N115GP) was flown into the ground during a test flight, with the two pilots dying. It turned out that the pilots had tried to perform a prohibited aerobatic maneuver with the machine, from which they could no longer intercept the aircraft (see also the flight accident of the GP Express Airlines 1993 ) .
- On February 12, 1999, an Ameriflight Beechcraft C99 cargo plane (N205RA) crashed during a flight from Tonopah Airport in Nevada to Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in California , killing the only pilot present on board. The machine was flown into a mountain 18 kilometers from the destination airport. The investigation into the accident suggests that the aircraft had an accident because the pilot was taking landscape photos in flight and was distracted from his task of flying the aircraft (see also the Ameriflight accident in February 1999 ) .
- On June 30, 1999, a Beechcraft Model 99 of the German Nightexpress (D-IBEX) crashed after both engines failed on a cargo flight from London-Luton to Frankfurt. The crew tried to make an emergency landing at Liege Airport . The aircraft did not reach the runway and hit a forest near Seraing ( Belgium ). Both pilots were killed (see also Nightexpress flight 114 ) .
Technical data (C99 Commuter)
- Length: 13.58 m
- Wingspan: 13.98 m
- Height: 4.38 m
- Wing area: 25.98 m²
- Empty weight: 2,600 kg
- Takeoff weight: 5,126 kg
- Crew: 2
- Passengers: 15
- Top speed: 496 km / h at an altitude of 2,440 m
- Cruising speed: 462 km / h at an altitude of 2,440 m
- Max. Range: 1,687 km
- Max. Rate of climb: 2,000 ft / min
- Drive: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-36 (680–715 hp)
- Year of construction: 1983–1986
See also
literature
- AJ Pelletier: Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors. Putnam, London 1995, ISBN 0-85177-863-1 (English).
- John WR Taylor (Ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft - 1972-73 . Sampson Low, Marston & Company Ltd., London 1972, p. 253-255 (English).
- John WR Taylor (Ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft - 1983-84 . ane's Publishing Company, London 1983, p. 311-312 (English).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ William Green: Airplanes of the World, 1970/71 . Werner Classen Verlag, Zurich 1970, pp. 30–31.
- ↑ Pelletier 1995, p. 144.
- ↑ Pelletier 1995, pp. 144-145.
- ↑ Accident statistics Beech 99 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on March 14, 2019.
- ↑ Brief description of the accident N2550A , National Transportation Safety Board . Retrieved August 17, 2020
- ↑ SEA69A0061. National Transportation Safety Board , accessed August 18, 2020 .
- ^ Aircraft Accident Report. (PDF) National Transportation Safety Board , August 26, 1970, accessed August 18, 2020 .
- ↑ NTSB Identification: MIA74FKG67. National Transportation Safety Board , accessed August 23, 2020 .
- ^ Aviation Accident Final Report. National Transportation Safety Board , October 8, 1993, accessed August 23, 2020 .
- ^ Aviation Accident Final Report. National Transportation Safety Board , May 10, 1994, accessed August 23, 2020 .
- ^ Aviation Accident Final Report. National Transportation Safety Board , August 13, 2001, accessed August 23, 2020 .
- ↑ Investigation report 4X019-0 / 99. Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation , February 2002, accessed on 23 August 2020 .
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