Description

On 19 November 1996, a Beech 1900C (N87GL) being operated by Great Lakes Aviation on a scheduled passenger flight from Chicago O'Hare to the non-Towered airport at Quincy as United Express 5925 under call sign Lakes Air 251 was completing its landing roll on runway 13 when it collided at the intersection of two runways with a Beech King Air A90 (N1127D) which had begun a take-off on the intersecting runway 04. Both aircraft were destroyed by the impact and post-crash fires and all 14 occupants of the two aircraft were killed. The accident happened in daylight conditions and with normal ground visibility. The runway and runway lighting were damaged in the vicinity of the collision.

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (USA) (NTSB). The Beech 1900C was not fitted with an FDR and was not required to be. Data from the CVR which was installed was, although readable, found to be of poor quality and especially so during incoming or outgoing radio transmissions. It was noted that between October 1994 and January 1997, the Board had "investigated five other accidents/incidents involving Beech 1900 airplanes in which the CVR poorly recorded the incoming or outgoing radio transmissions" and had concluded "that the problem originated in the isolation amplifiers installed in the airplanes rather than in the actual CVR units".