# Accident 19970603012809A: Beech 95B55, San Carlos, AZ, June 3, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 3, 1997, 10:40 local time
- Place: San Carlos, AZ
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.5394° N, 110.4693° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.5394&lon=-110.4693&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8KB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8KB-2002-05-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech 95-B55 (T42A) (registry code 1152706, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-95-b55-t42a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 95B55
- Reported engine: CONT IO470L
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 1,610 total, 110 in this make and model, 85 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97GA198](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97GA198) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970603012809A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A ROUTINE FIRE RECONNAISSANCE PATROL. THERE WERE NO EYEWITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. ARTCC RADAR DATA SHOWED NO PRIMARY OR SECONDARY TARGETS AT OF ABOVE 3000 FEET AGL. NO RECORD WAS FOUND THAT EITHER CREW MEMBER INITIATED AN EMERGENCY TRANSMISSION. NO WEATHER PHENOMENA WAS OBSERVED BY ANY SOURCE IN THE AREA. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED AT THE APEX OF A RIVER BED IN A NARROW CANYON AT AN ELEVATION OF 5620 FEET MSL, AND CAME TO REST ON A SANDBAR  WITH A MEASURED 400 FOOT RADIUS BEND IN THE RIVER. THE WALL ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIVER RISES STEEPLY TO ABOUT 6100 FEET MSL, AND THE TERRAIN ON THE EAST SIDE RISES TO EQUAL HEIGHTS OVER A SLIGHTLY LONGER HORIZONTAL DISTANCE. THE TRIM SPEED OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS COMPUTED BY BEECH AIRCRAFT AT 120 KNOTS BASED ON THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB POSITION IN THE COMPARISON TO THE GROSS WEIGHT AND CG. A 73 DEGREE BANK ANGLE IS REQUIRED FOR THE AIRCRAFT TO MAKE A 400 FOOT RADIUS TURN AT 120 KNOTS. THE AIRCRAFT STALL SPEED AT THAT BANK ANGLE IS 111 KNOTS. AN EXTENSIVE POSTCRASH FIRE COMSUMED THE AIRCRAFT AND NO GROUND SCARS WERE OBSERVED OUTSIDE OF THE IMMEDIATE AREA OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE PROPELLER ASSSEMBLIES WERE IMPACTED INTO THE GROUND AT   ANGLES OF 35 TO 40 DEGREES, AND ALL OTHER AIRCRAFT STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS WERE DEFORMED AT SIMILAR ANGLES. NO PREIMPACT FAILURES OR SYSTEM/COMPONENT MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND. BOTH PROPELLERS WERE OPERATING SYMETRICALLY, WITH BLADE ANGLES IN THE GOVERNED RANGE. A REVIEW OF PAST RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHTS OVER THIS SAME ROUTE DISCLOSED THAT THE FLIGHTS POSITION REPORTS AND COMPUTED GROUND SPEED WAS CONSISTENT WITH ALL PAST FLIGHTS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX97GA198](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97GA198), Jun 3, 1997: Beech 95-B55 (N8KB), San Carlos, AZ, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which led to an inadvertent stall/spin.

## Other reports on N8KB (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19930702031739I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930702031739I), Jul 2, 1993: Beech 95B55 (N8KB), Roosevelt, AZ, Minor damage. Nose gear collpased on rollout. Found a fracture at grease fitting hole. Causing rod end in idler arm to fail.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.