- Date
- September 22, 1990, 18:26 local (22:26 UTC)
- Place
- Smithfield, PA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9UPBeech 95-B55
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900922041509A
- Case key
- 36551
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 failure of both pilots to maintain aircraft control while conducting training maneuvers at an altitude that precluded a safe recovery.
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
Prior to departure witnesses heard the pilots discussing the possibility of conducting pilot training. Less than 6 minutes after takeoff the airplane was observed in a dive to ground impact. The sound of the engine(s) was changing. The left engine magneto switch was found in the off position. Teardown examinations of both engines did not reveal any discrepancies. The other pilot held a commercial certificate with airplane single and multi-engine land, instrument, and flight instructor (airplane single-engine) ratings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9UP
- Reported as
- Beech 95-B55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC-1273
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-L, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Great American Aviation Inc
- Departed
- MGW · Morgantown, WV
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
- 34
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,300 total · 7,100 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Observed at
- MGW, 9 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.