- Date
- June 30, 1991, 09:11 local (16:11 UTC)
- Place
- Pioneer, CA
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N713JBBeech 65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910630024879A
- Case key
- 27011
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
Improper emergency procedures by the pilot, when he inadvertently shut down the left engine after encountering a partial loss of power in the right engine. Factors related to the accident were: improper installation of the right engine's #6 exhaust valve seat by other maintenance personnel, fatigue failure of the #6 exhaust valve, and the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft.
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
A Beech 65 collided with trees in mountainous terrain after an inflt loss of control. A pilot observed the airplane start a turn to the right, roll right and continued until inverted and enter into a spin. The acft was in a steep nose down attitude when it began its pull; out. The engines were heard by a ground witness who initially mistook them for an approach motorcycle. The pilot initially flew the acft 45 days before the accident and logged 3.5 dual instruction hours. There was no record in the pilot's logbook of any additional flt trng since the initial flt. The plt satisfactorily completed a bfr in a Cessna 150 four days before the accident. Exam of the wreckage dsclsd the rt eng had broken exhaust valve, but the left prop was feathered. There were no preexisting mech malfunctions or failures found with the left eng.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N713JB
- Reported as
- Beech 65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LC-35
- Airframe hours
- 4,958
- Engine
- Lycoming IGSO-480-A16A, 340 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stahl, Richard E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 6, 1990 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- MOD · Modesto, CA
- Destination
- TVL · S Lake Tahoe, CA
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,830 total · 27 in this make and model · 24 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °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.