What happened
On February 10, Columbia Pacific Airlines Flight 23 was conducting a scheduled passenger service from Richland to Seattle, Washington. The aircraft, a Beech 99 registered as N199EA, had been undergoing inspections for an Airworthiness Directive earlier that afternoon. Following the inspection, the aircraft was fueled and loaded with 600 lbs of baggage.
During the departure sequence, the crew coordinated with the Pasco Airport Traffic Control Tower to request instrument flight rules clearance via Yakima. The aircraft departed the ramp at 16:45 and rotated from the runway at 16:48. While witnesses observed a normal attitude during liftoff, the aircraft immediately entered an extreme climb between 300 and 400 feet. During this ascent, the wings began to wobble, and the plane experienced a left yaw before the nose dropped sharply. The aircraft descended toward the ground at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Upon impact, ruptured fuel tanks ignited, and a fire destroyed the wreckage within seven minutes. There were 17 fatalities in the accident.
Findings
The investigation determined that the crew was unable to counteract a rapid pitch-up and subsequent stall because they did not apply enough forward pressure on the control wheel. This aerodynamic instability was caused by a mistrimmed horizontal stabilizer combined with a center of gravity positioned near the rear limit of the aircraft's allowable range. The improper trim state was attributed to discrepancies in the trim system and the crew's focus on departing on schedule. Furthermore, a faulty stabilizer trim actuator hindered the pilots' ability to recover from the stall. Other contributing factors included deficiencies in maintenance, training, and regulatory oversight.