- Date
- November 23, 1989, 22:30 local (Nov 24, 1989, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Arlington, TX
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1026WBeech 95-B55
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891123046549A
- Case key
- 23002
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's loss of control in flight because of spatial disorientation. A factor was the dark night.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Shortly after takeoff, the airplane impacted in a steep nose down attitude into the edge of a pond about 1/2 mile south and 1/4 mile west of the departure end of runway 16. Dark night VMC prevailed. The pilot was not instrument rated; he had logged 54 hours of simulated instrument time, but no actual weather time. The fuel selectors were found in the auxiliary tank position. Chord wise witness marks were not evident on any of the propeller blades, which impacted in mud and shallow water. Both engines were functionally tested in a test cell and they operated successfully.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1026W
- Reported as
- Beech 95-B55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC-1532
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-E, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hedco, Inc.
- Departed
- F54
- Destination
- MDD · Midland, TX
- Airport
- F54 · Arlington Muni, runway 16, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,408 total · 28 in this make and model · 1,650 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.