Beech 1900D Plane Based on Tested Design

Jan. 8 -- Beech 1900D twin-engine turboprop airplanes of the type that crashed in North Carolina today are souped-up versions of a "tried-and-true" commuter and corporate plane design, ABCNEWS aviation consultant John Nance said.

"I usually call it a 'King Air' on steroids because it has a larger engine and bigger cabin," Nance said. "It does not have a bad history at all, and it is a very reliable, boilerplate, day-in-day-out-type of airplane."

The 8-year-old 1900D involved in today's crash at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport was operated for US Airways by Air Midwest, a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group, and has flown about 15,000 hours and made 21,000 takeoffs and landings, according to The Associated Press. Mesa operates about 50 of this model of aircraft.

There are two common Beech 1900 models — the 1900C, which began flying in 1982 and is no longer being produced, and the 1900D, the type of plane involved in the North Carolina crash. The 1900D is slightly larger and faster than the 1900C, and the Raytheon Aircraft Co. has been producing it in its Beechcraft line since 1991.

According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the U.S. Air Force ordered six Beech 1900C-1 "wet-wing" models in 1986, assigning two to the U.S. Army — and the Army also received a 1900D in 1997.

What Caused the Crash?

In August, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a maintenance alert for the Beech 1900 turboprop after attachment bolts for the vertical stabilizer were found loose on one plane during a scheduled inspection, the AP reported.

It is not yet clear what caused today's crash in North Carolina, though Nance said it appeared unlikely the problem in the maintenance alert could have contributed to the type of accident that occurred.

"There is never ever one single cause to an airline or an aircraft accident," Nance said. "There is always a multiplicity of causes and we refer to that as a causal chain.

"A failure to maintain directional flight control" could have occurred from a chain reaction, perhaps begun by engine failure, Nance said, though the type of engine on that type of plane "is probably the most reliable turboprop engine in history."