# NTSB SEA95FA010: Beech 58 Foxstar, N333KS, Shaw Island, WA, October 24, 1994 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: October 23, 1994, 20:45 local (Oct 24, 1994, 03:45 UTC) - Place: Shaw Island, WA - Coordinates: 48.570999, -122.959762 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.5710&lon=-122.9598&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed, report October 19, 1995 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 42034 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA95FA010 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/42034/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA95FA010 ## Probable cause FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED DURING TAKEOFF AND INITIAL CLIMB, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE GROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE PILOT'S IMPROPER DECISION TO TAKE OFF ON AN UNLIGHTED RUNWAY, AND THE UNEVEN RUNWAY. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (contributing factor) - light condition - dark night (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway edge lights - not installed (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - use of inappropriate medication/drug, pilot in command - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis THE PILOT TOOK OFF AT NIGHT IN A BEECH 58 THAT HAD RECEIVED A SUPPLEMENTAL TYPE CERTIFICATE (STC) FOR A COLEMILL ENTERPRISE 'FOXSTAR' CONVERSION. THE TAKEOFF WAS ON AN UNLIGHTED, UNEVEN, SHORT, PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. THE OWNER OF THE AIRSTRIP HEARD THE AIRPLANE AND SAID THE TAKEOFF WAS INITIATED FROM THE NORTH END WITH PARTIAL POWER. HE REPORTED THAT ABOUT 5 SECONDS LATER, THE ENGINES SOUNDED LIKE THEY WERE AT FULL POWER AND THAT THEY SOUNDED NORMAL UNTIL THE PLANE CRASHED. IMPACT OCCURRED ABOUT 100' EAST AND 225' NORTH OF THE SOUTHERN RUNWAY THRESHOLD. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE PLANE HAD STALLED AND CRASHED IN A STEEP DESCENT. THE LEADING EDGES OF BOTH WINGS EXHIBITED 'ACCORDION' CRUSH DAMAGE, AND TREES NEXT TO THE IMPACT POINT WERE UNDAMAGED. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND IN A RETRACTED POSITION, AND THE GEAR WAS FOUND EXTENDED. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MECHANICAL DEFICIENCY WAS FOUND. A TOXICOLOGY TEST (AT CAMI) SHOWED THE PILOT'S BLOOD HAD AN ETHANOL LEVEL OF 98 MG/ML (0.098%), BUT THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF POSTMORTEM ETHANOL PRODUCTION. A TEST OF HIS URINE SHOWED A LOW LEVEL OF BENZOYLECGONINE (0.272 UG/ML). ALSO, CHLORPHENIRAMINE AND PSEUDOEPHEDRINE (OVER-THE-COUNTER ANTIHISTAMINES) WERE DETECTED IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD, URINE, AND LIVER FLUID, BUT AT LEVELS THAT WOULD NOT HAVE RESULTED IN IMPAIRMENT. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 23, 1994, about 2045 Pacific daylight time, N333KS, a Beech BE-58, operated by the owner/pilot, impacted terrain during an uncontrolled descent and was destroyed at Shaw Island, Washington. The uncontrolled descent occurred immediately after takeoff from a private unlit airstrip at night. The private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. There was no fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91 and was destined for Bellingham, Washington. According to acquaintances of the pilot who had been with him during the 72 hours prior to the accident, the pilot had routinely flown into the airstrip because he had a second home on Shaw Island. The acquaintances also indicated that the pilot sometimes took off from the airstrip at night. On Friday evening, October 21, one of the pilot's acquaintances was picked up in Seattle and flown by the pilot to Shaw Island in N333KS. The acquaintance stated that he saw a deer on the runway during the landing, and that deer were frequently seen on the airstrip in the evening. The acquaintance stated that other acquaintances of the pilot shot a deer on Friday and another on Saturday at the airstrip. The following morning, October 22, 1994, one day prior to the accident, the pilot flew from Shaw Island to Anacortes, Washington, to duck hunt, then back to Shaw Island to pick up three acquaintances, then on to Bellingham. In Bellingham, two of the three acquaintances were dropped off. The remaining acquaintance and the pilot departed for Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, where the airplane was fueled. The two occupants attended a wedding reception in Seattle during the afternoon. After the reception, the pilot "took a nap" for about two hours, and the couple then went to dinner. The couple remained in Seattle overnight. According to the acquaintance, the pilot went to sleep about 2330 and awakened about 0830 on the following morning, the day of the accident. The acquaintance reported that the pilot was feeling "fine," and was not observed consuming any drugs. Later that afternoon, the pilot flew by himself from Seattle to Bellingham, where he invited two friends to fly back to Shaw Island to "have dinner and watch the sunset." One of the friends accepted, and the two departed Bellingham and landed at Shaw Island about 1730. The pilot appeared to be in "a great mood" in Bellingham, and no problems with the airplane were mentioned. The acquaintance of the pilot who had flown with him to Seattle stated that she telephoned the pilot about 1830 on the evening of the accident. She stated that the pilot was "putting dinner on at home" and that he would be home in Bellingham about 2100. She also stated that the pilot did not mention any problems with himself or the airplane. The owner of the airstrip, who resides about 150 yards from the north end of the airstrip, reported hearing the accident airplane's engines starting about 2045 hours. He then heard the airplane being taxied from the center of the airstrip to the north end of the runway and begin to takeoff with "partial throttle." About five seconds later, the engines sounded like they were at "full throttle." The owner of the airstrip also stated that the engines "sounded normal" just prior to ground impact. The accident occurred during the hours of darkness at 48 degrees, 34.2 minutes North and 122 degrees, 58.2 minutes West. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 38, was a certificated private pilot with ratings for single and multi-engine land airplanes, and instrument airplane. According to FAA records, the pilot was issued an FAA Third Class Medical Certificate on October 1, 1993, with no limitations or waivers. The pilot's personal logbook was recovered at the accident site; entries in the logbook indicated that the pilot had logged a total of 818 hours of flight time prior to the accident flight, including 257 hours in type, 123 hours at night, and 178 hours of instrument flight time. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane, a 1973 Beech BE-58 "Baron," was owned and operated by the pilot since March 2, 1993. The airplane had received a supplemental type certificate (STC) for a Colemill Enterprises, Inc. "Foxstar" conversion. The conversion involved the installation of two Continental IO-550-C engines, two Hartzell propellers, a modified nose cowling, and winglets. Another STC allowed the installation of 107 vortex generators to the airplane's wings and vertical stabilizer. The published minimum controllable airspeed of the airplane was 74 knots (calibrated). An examination of the airplane's engine and airframe logbooks did not reveal any unresolved discrepancies prior to departure on the day of the accident. The airplane had logged 3,532 hours at the time of the accident. AERODROME INFORMATION The departure airstrip is privately owned and has a 2100- foot grass runway oriented north-south. The runway grating (from north to south) slopes downward to a vertical depth of about 20 feet near midfield, and then rises again to level terrain prior to the southern (departure) threshold. The airstrip is not lighted or controlled, nor are there any lights in the immediate vicinity. The runway is surrounded by trees, and powerlines border the north perimeter of the airstrip. Permission to operate on the airstrip must be obtained by the owner, and permission was granted for the accident pilot. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane wreckage was examined at the accident site on October 24, 1994. An additional examination occurred on October 27, 1994, at Boeing Field, Seattle, after the wreckage had been moved. The airplane came to rest adjacent to a line of undamaged trees about 100 feet east of the eastern edge of the runway, and 225 feet north of the southern threshold. The airplane's longitudinal axis and the wreckage distribution path were oriented along a magnetic heading of 327 degrees, nearly opposite it's direction of takeoff. No evidence of fire was found. Both propellers were embedded into the ground and broken off at their flanges. The right and left propellers were extracted from craters that measured 19 inches and 12 inches in depth respectively. The remainder of the airplane had separated from the propeller hubs and was resting upright about 45 feet from the propellers. Both propellers exhibited symmetrical bending and torsional damage. Two blades on each four-blade propeller exhibited S-bending, chordwise scratching, and leading edge gouging. One blade exhibited a sheared tip. Fuel was found in both wing tanks. Both cockpit fuel selectors were found in the ON position. The non-volatile memory from the airplane's digital fuel quantity indicator was extracted under the supervision of the Safety Board; the extraction revealed that 142 gallons of available fuel was being registered on the indicator at impact. Both engines underwent a detailed visual inspection and partial teardown; no evidence of pre-impact mechanical deficiencies was found. All primary and secondary flight control surfaces were accounted for at the accident site. The entire airframe was located within its own dimensions. No evidence was found to indicate a flight control deficiency. The leading edges of both wings exhibited evidence of "accordion" crush damage. The flaps were found in the retracted position, and the landing gear was found in the extended position. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION An autopsy was performed on the pilot by Dr. Laurence R. Peterson, M.D., of Skagit Pathology, Inc., Mount Vernon, Washington, 98273, on October 25, 1994. According to the report of autopsy, no evidence of pre-existing disease was found. A toxicological analysis (attached) was ## Aircraft - Registration: [N333KS](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N333KS-2013-04-25), registration cancelled 2013-04-25, S/N TH-300 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH 58 FOXSTAR - Registry model: [Beech 58](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-58) (registry code 1152740) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: TH-300 - Airframe hours: 3533 - Engines: CONTINENTAL IO-550-C 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Darling, Edward C. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, August 2, 1994, 48 hours before - Destination: BLI, BELLINGHAM, WA - Airport: Private Strip (Unnamed), runway 18, 2,100 × 50 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 38; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 818 total, 257 in this make and model, 730 as pilot in command, 70 in the last 90 days, 11 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark - Wind: 40° at 5 knots - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: BLI, 22 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19941024035249A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19941024035249A), Oct 24, 1994: Beech STC58, Shaw Island, WA, Destroyed, 2 fatal. Lost control on takeoff climb at dark night no runway or other lights in area. Indicates spatial disorientaion. 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. --- 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.