Beechcraft BE-65-A90 N41VC

Summary

On 12 August 1997 at about 16:53 local time, a Beechcraft BE-65-A90 registered N41VC, operated by South Texas Aircraft, Inc., was involved in an accident near Alice, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 August 1997 at 16:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Alice, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Alice International (ALI)

Coordinates

27.7509, -98.0599

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-65-A90

Registration

N41VC

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

South Texas Aircraft, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI97FA256

4 people died.

loss of control due to the pilot's improper in-flight decision. A factor was the improper installation of the secondary low pitch stop system by the mechanic.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was part of a pre-buy inspection of the airplane. Witnesses reported the airplane did not climb more than 200 feet above ground level (agl) after takeoff. The airplane entered a shallow left turn and completed about 210 degrees of heading change before it impacted a flat field near the approach end of runway 26. Witnesses reported that the landing gear were retracted and that the engines sounded like they running at high power, but the airplane did not accelerate or climb normally. The airspeed was slow and 'mushy.' The engines' gas generator sections exhibited strong rotational scoring. The engines' power sections exhibited light rotational signatures. The left and right propellers exhibited minimal leading edge damage. Both propellers exhibited high blade angles. The secondary low pitch stops (SLPS) had been installed on the aircraft four days prior to the accident. A ground check, but no flight check, had been conducted. The SLPS sensors were found in the full aft position on the mounting bracket, not in the normal mid-range position. The SLPS control box installed on the aircraft was an updated box and was incompatible with the existing wiring.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.