Beechcraft King Air 90
9 models built 1966–2012 · 811 on the US register today
The King Air 90 series, in production since 1964 and the aeroplane that made the light pressurised turboprop twin a normal thing to own: six to eight people at about 220 knots on two PT6A engines. The 65-A90 (1966) established the type; the 65-A90-1 is the US Army U-21A; the C90 (1971) stretched the cabin; the E90 has PT6A-28s; the F90 (1979-83) is the T-tailed 750 shp version on its own certificate (A31CE) but is treated as a 90 by the market; the C90A, C90B/SE, C90GT and C90GTi carry the line through the Raytheon and Hawker Beechcraft years.
The variants
| MODEL | YEARS | ACTIVE | TAILFAX SCORE | WHAT CHANGED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65-A90 | 1966–1967 | 34 | Partial 16.8/30 | PT6A-20, reversing props, 4.6 psi cabin |
| 65-A90-1 | 1967–1971 | 90 | Partial 11.1/30 | US Army U-21A Ute: unpressurised, cargo door |
| C90 | 1971–1982 | 216 | 32.6/50 | Stretched cabin, five windows |
| E-90 | 1972–1981 | 145 | 24.6/50 | PT6A-28 engines |
| F90 | 1979–1983 | 108 | Partial 15.9/30 | T-tail, 750 shp PT6A-135 (TC A31CE) |
| C90-1 | 1982–1983 | 0 | — | Improved pressurisation, E90 tailplane |
| C90A | 1992–2006 | 155 | 36.2/50 | Same aircraft recorded under the Raytheon name (1994-2006) |
| C90GT | 2008–2012 | 6 | — | PT6A-135A engines |
| C90GTI | 2008–2012 | 57 | — | Pro Line 21 glass cockpit |
Family fleet, active
811
FAA registry
NTSB events / 1,000, 10 yrs
39.5
32 events over 811 active aircraft, pooled across the family
Successor
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · scores Sep 30