# Accident 19970812021759A: Beech 65A90, Alice, TX, August 12, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 12, 1997, 11:53 local time
- Place: Alice, TX
- Airport: Alice International Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.7509° N, 98.0599° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.7509&lon=-98.0599&mi=10
- Aircraft: N41VC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N41VC-1998-12-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech 65-A90 (registry code 1152908, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-65-a90) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 65A90
- Reported engine: PWA PT6A20
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Pilot flight hours: 17,710 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI97FA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA256) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970812021759A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF, STARTED LEFT TURN BACK TO AIRPORT, CRASHED. (.4)THE FLIGHT WAS PART OF A PRE-BUY INSPECION OF THE AIRPLANE.  WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRPLANE DID NOT CLIMB MORE THAN 200 FEET ABOVE GROUNG LEVEL (AGL) AFTER TAKEOFF.  THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A SHALLOW LEFT TURN AND COMPLETED ABOUT 210 DEGREES OF HEADING CHANGE BEFORE IT IMPACTED A FLAT FIELD NEAR THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 26.  WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WERE RETRACTED AND THAT THE ENGINES SOUNDED LIKE THEY RUNNING AT HIGHT POWER, BUT THE AIRPLANE DID NOT  ACCELERATE OR CLIMB NORMALLY.  THE AIRSPEED WAS SLOW AND 'MUSHY.' THE ENGINES GAS  GENERATOR SECTIONS EXHIBITED STRONG ROTATIONAL SCORING.  THE ENGINES POWER SECTIONS EXHIBITED LIGHT ROTATIONAL SIGNATURES.  THE LEFT AND RIGHT PORPELLERS EXHIBITED MINIMAL LEADING EDGE DAMAGE.  BOTH PROPELLERS EXHIBITED HIGH BLADE ANGLES.  THE SECONDARY LOW PITCH STOPS (SLPS) HAD BEEN INSTALED ON THE AIRCRAFT FOUR DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.  A GROUND CHECK, BUT NO FLIGHT CHECK, HAD BEEN CONDUCTED.  THE SLPS SENSORS WERE FOUND IN THE FULL AFT POSITION ON THE MOUNTING BRACKET, NOT IN THE NORMAL MID-RANGE POSITION.  THE SLPS CONTROL BOX INSTALLED ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS AN UP  DATED BOX AND WAS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE EXISTING WIRING. THE AIRCRAFT HAD LIABILITY INSURANCE, BUT IT DID NOT HAVE HULL INSURANCE.                   (-23) ON AUGUST 12, 1997, AT 11:53 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH BE-65-A90, N41VC, OPERATED BY SOUTH TEXAS AIRCRAFT, INC., WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN 1/4 MILE FROM THE ALICE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ALICE, TEXAS. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED RUNWAY 13 BUT DID NOT CLIMB MORE THAN 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL). THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A SHALLOW LEFT TURN AND COMPLETED ABOUT 210 DEGREES OF HEADING CHANGE BEFORE IT IMPACTED A FIELD NEAR THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 26. THE PILOT, COPILOT, AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT DEPARTED ALICE, TEXAS, ON A LOCAL FLIGHT AS PART OF AN AIRCRAFT SALES PRE-BUY FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED.

## 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 CHI97FA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA256), Aug 12, 1997: Beech BE-65-A90 (N41VC), Alice, TX, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: loss of control due to the pilot's improper in-flight decision. A factor was the improper installation of the secondary low pitch stop system by the mechanic.

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.

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