- Date
- January 31, 1986, 12:05 local (16:05 UTC)
- Place
- Sunderland, MA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6641ABeech E55
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 4, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860131001839A
- Case key
- 30176
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Witnesses reported seeing the acft descend vertically in a flat spin until impact in open, flat terrain. The accident occurred aprx 45 min after the plt had taken off on a local proficiency flt. After impact, most of the airframe was demolished by fire. The left prop was fnd in a feathered position, indicating the eng had been shut down before impact. However, no preimpact part failure or malfunction of the airframe or eng was fnd drg the investigation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6641A
- Reported as
- Beech E55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TE-1173
- Airframe hours
- 298
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-CB, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Garson R. Fields
- Registered owner
- Berkshire Electric Cable Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1985 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- 7B2 · Northampton, MA
- Airport
- LFR · La Fleur
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
- 71
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,681 total · 343 in this make and model · 1,681 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BDR, 31 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.