Beech 1900C aircraft

The Beech was first put into commercial use in 1984

The Beech 1900C turbo-prop airplane involved in the fatal crash in North Carolina, has its origins in the 1930s, when the US firm Beech Aircraft Corporation was founded by Walter and Olive Ann Beech.

Beech 1900C

Capable of speeds of more than 300mph (480kph)

Wingspan: 58ft (16.6m)

Length: 57ft (17.6m)

Height: 15ft (4.5m)

First produced for commercial airlines in 1984

Initially making mainly business aircraft, during World War Two the company expanded into military supply, and about 7,400 so-called Beechcrafts were used by the US and Allied armed forces.

In the 1980s the company became a subsidiary of electronics and technology company Raytheon, and in 1984 the first pressurised 1900 airliner was delivered to US regional airliners, a descendant of two earlier planes, the Beech C99 and King Air 200.

An estimated 500 of the 19-passenger jet-prop planes are currently in use worldwide, according to the company's website.

Powerful engines

Capable of speeds of more than 300 miles per hour, (480 kph), the 1900C craft has a wingspan of 58 feet (16.6m), length of 57 ft (17.6m) and height of about 15 ft (4.5m).

With a substantially longer fuselage than its predecessors, the plane was also fitted with more powerful engines.

In 1990, an improved Beech 1900D was launched, with several improvements including standing headroom and larger freight doors and windows.

According to the AirSafe.com website, before Wednesday's crash there had been five fatal accidents involving Beech 1900 aircraft since 1987.

The last was in November 1996, when a plane was hit by another aircraft on a runway killing 14 people.