Aircraft model
BEECH C90-1
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The C90-1 is the short 1982-83 run between the C90 and the C90A: the same PT6A-21 engines and 9,650 lb maximum weight, with aerodynamic and systems changes that the performance source summarises as increased speed. Fewer than a hundred were built before the C90A replaced it with the redesigned cowlings that are the family's most visible later change.
The running cost is set by the engines and nothing else comes close. Hot-section inspections and overhauls are the numbers that decide whether a particular aircraft is a bargain, and an engine programme such as ESP changes the arithmetic completely -- establish whether one is in place and whether it transfers before agreeing a price. Beyond that, the airframe is benign, the corrosion picture is well understood and the type has no structural surprise waiting. A C90-1 sits awkwardly in the market: buyers looking at 90-series King Airs mostly compare a C90 against a C90A and the -1 falls between them, which sometimes makes it good value. The PT6A-21 is the smallest engine in the King Air family and the cheapest to overhaul, which is the main argument for a 90 over a 200 for an owner-operator flying a few hundred hours a year.
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Put BEECH C90-1 side by side with up to two other models.
- BEECH C90-1
What it is
| Seats | 8 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-21 |
| Horsepower | 550 hp |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1982 |
| Production end | 1983 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;pressurized/high-altitude;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 217 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,120 nm |
| Service ceiling | 28,100 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,955 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 76 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 2,261 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,672 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 8 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 3,885 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,312 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 9,650 lb |
| Empty weight | 5,765 lb |
| Usable fuel | 384 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 80 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $700,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $1,100,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 3,600 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $330,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $500,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 2 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 0 |
| Median year built | — |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, turbo-prop, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 13.13 · 24 models in class.
- Severity: class median 31.67.
- Access: class median 5,500.
- Support: class median 59.
- Liquidity: class median 22.37.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.