Beechcraft 95-B55 N5678K

Summary

On 23 August 1997 at about 05:10 local time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 registered N5678K was involved in an accident near Brownsville, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 August 1997 at 05:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Brownsville, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.5891, -89.2508

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95-B55

Registration

N5678K

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ankeny → Tuscaloosa

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MIA97FA239

1 person died.

the pilot's inadequate preflight, and his improper in-flight planning/decision, which led to fuel exhaustion and a forced landing at night on unprepared terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: darkness, and the lack of a suitable area for an emergency landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Two witnesses about 15 miles northeast of the crash site, reported they heard and saw an airplane at low altitude and low airspeed. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) found Beech 95-B55, N5678K, in an open pasture on the following morning. No radio calls were recorded from the airplane before the accident. Examination of the fuel tanks revealed the right auxiliary tank contained about 1 quart of green fuel, and the left main and auxiliary tanks were found dry, as was the right main fuel tank. There was no fuel spillage observed at the crash site, either on the ground, or trees, and there were no breaches found throughout the fuel system. The fuel supply lines were found clear and unobstructed. Overall visual examination of the engine compartment and airframe did not reveal any evidence of fuel stains or fuel leakage. The pilot's son reported that company had a policy to 'top off' each aircraft with fuel after each flight. The load manifest for this flight indicated that there was '74 gallons' of fuel in the main tanks, and '60 gallons' of fuel in the auxiliary tanks. The 95-B55, had a total fuel capacity of 142 gallons, of which 136 gallons were usable fuel. However, no record was available to determine when the airplane was last refueled. A direct flight from the departure point to the crash site was 469 statute miles. Calculations showed the duration of flight would have been about 2.3 hours, and would have required about 57.5 gallons of fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.