Skip to content

CHI90LA172

1990-07-15 · BENTON HARBOR, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BEH

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S MISJUDGED APPROACH TO LANDING, WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRCRAFT RUNNING OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY INTO A RAVINE. THE LATE, DARK NIGHT, IFR CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER REFUELING AT A NEARBY AIRPORT, HE AND HIS CO-PILOT RETURNED TO BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN TO POSITION THE AIRCRAFT FOR AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT FLIGHT. HE STATED THAT HE SHOT THE ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 27, AND BROKE OUT AT ABOUT 1100 FEET, WITH AN ESTIMATED 6 MILES VISIBILITY. HE REPORTED THAT THE 'HIGH INTENSITY APPROACH LIGHTS WERE ON FULL BRIGHT, DESTROYING MY NIGHT VISION....'HE STATED THAT ONCE THEY PASSED THE APPROACH LIGHTS HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE RUNWAY SURFACE, AND THE THE AIRCRAFT 'MUST HAVE FLOATED....'HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP BEFORE RUNNING OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE CO-PILOT'S STATEMENT CONCURS. THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND REPORTED A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF 8,300 HOURS, INCLUDING 2,100 HOURS IN THE ACCIDENT MAKE AND MODEL, AND 5,000 HOURS OF NIGHT FLIGHT EXPERIENCE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_CHI90LA172.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.