Beechcraft 99 Airliner crash, Jan 20, 1981 (7 killed), Sp...
Beechcraft 99 Airliner accident on January 20, 1981 near Spokane-Intl (Geiger Field), Washington, United States with 7 fatalities. Cause: Premature...
- Date: January 20, 1981
- Aircraft: Beechcraft 99 Airliner
- Location: Spokane-Intl (Geiger Field), Washington, United States
- Fatalities: 7
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Premature descent to the minimum descent altitude based on the flight crew's use of an incorrect DME frequency, and the crew's failure to remain at or above MDA. Contributing: the DME mode selector did not display the selected frequency, and the crew did not identify the localizer DME facility.
A Cascade Airways Beechcraft 99 operating Flight 201 from Seattle via Yakima and Moses Lake crashed during an instrument approach to Spokane International Airport in fog. The aircraft struck a hill about 4.5 miles from the runway threshold, near the final approach fix, while descending below the intended altitude. Seven of nine occupants were killed and two survived with serious injuries.