# Accident 19990121000659A: Beech 95C55, Pellston, MI, January 21, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 21, 1999, 22:16 local time - Place: Pellston, MI - Airport: Pellston Regional Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Final Approach-IFR - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 45.5503° N, 84.7805° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.5503&lon=-84.7805&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4920M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4920M-2018-01-24) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Beech 95-C55 (registry code 1152708, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-95-c55) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH 95C55 - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 3 - Pilot flight hours: 5,600 total - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99FA072](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99FA072) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990121000659A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19)ON JANUARY 21, 1998 AT 2216 EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST), A BEECH 95-C55, N4920M, OPERATED BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT, WAS DESTROYED WHEN WHILE PROCEEDING TO INTERCEPT THE LOCALIZER TO RUNWAY 32 AT THE PELLSTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, PELLSTON, MICHIGAN, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED INTO A WOODED AREA. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE BUSINESS FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS ON FILE. THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT DETROIT, MICHIGAN. (-23) THE PILOT WAS CLEARED BY THE MINNEAPOLIS CENTER, FOR THE ILS TO RUNWAY 32 AT PELLSTON, MICHIGAN AT 0304Z. THE LAST RADAR SHOWED THE BE-55 ESTABLISHED ON THE LOCALIZER. THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 5 NAUTICAL MILES SOTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT AND AN ESTIMATED 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE LOCALIZER IN ELEVATED TERRAIN. ALL THREE OCCUPANTS WERE FATALLY INJURED FROM HIGH SPEED IMPACT. (.4) THE FLIGHT WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM DETROIT CITY, MICHIGAN, TO PELLSTON, MICHIGAN. WHILE EN ROUTE, MINNEAPOLIS CENTER REPORTED TO THE PILOT THAT PELLSTON'S WEATHER WAS A CEILING OF 600 FEET AGL, VISIBILITY 5 MILES, LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND FREEZING FOG. A PILOT REPORT FROM A NORTHWEST AIRLINK SAAB 340 PRECEDING THE AIRPLANE, REPORTED PICKING UP MODERATE ICE BEGINNING AT 3,000 FEET MSL. THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR THE ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 32 AT PELLSTON. THE AIRPLANE'S LAST RECORDED POSITION WAS 15 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE PELLSTON REGIONAL AIRPORT, AT 3,600 FEET MSL. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO ANOMALIES. THE RESULTS OF FAA TOXICOLOGY TESTING OF SPECIMENS FROM THE PILOT REVEALED.043 PERCENT ETHANOL IN THE BLOOD. TITLE 14 CFR PART 91, PARAGRAPH 91.17 (A) (4) STATES THAT NO PERSON MAY ACT OR ATTEMPT TO ACT AS A CREWMEMBER OF A CIVIL AIRCRAFT WHILE HAVING 0.04 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OR MORE, ALCOHOL IN THE BLOOD. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE'S MAINTENANCE RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT PROPELLER DEICE SLINGER WAS REMOVED FROM THE PROPELLER SPINNER BULKHEAD IN JUNE OF 1998. ## 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 CHI99FA072](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99FA072), Jan 22, 1999: Beech 95-C55 (N4920M), Pellston, MI, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain proper altitude/clearance on the approach and his flight into known icing conditions. Factors relating to this accident were the pilot flying with known equipment… ## Other reports on N4920M (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19841110064789I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19841110064789I), Nov 10, 1984: Beech 95C55 (N4920M), Mount Pleasant, TX, Minor damage. Damage to aircraft indicates gear up landing. 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.