Beechcraft 95-B55 N8164R

Summary

On 4 October 2001 at about 18:15 local time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 registered N8164R, operated by Alamo Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Alvarado, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 October 2001 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Alvarado, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.3572, -97.1669

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95-B55

Registration

N8164R

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Alamo Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Arlington → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02FA004

2 people died.

The inadvertent flat spin of the airplane by the flightcrew resulting from the flight instructor's inadequate supervision. A contributing factor was the impairment (drugs) of the private pilot.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While maneuvering during a local instructional flight, the multiengine airplane entered a flat spin that resulted in an in-flight collision with the terrain. A witness, who holds a private pilot certificate, observed the airplane approximately 1,500 feet agl in a "flat spin," and the airplane impacted the ground "flat on its bottom" in a pasture, approximately 400 yards north of the witness. Another witness reported that the airplane was in a flat spin and could not recover. The private pilot with a multiengine rating occupied the left seat, and the multiengine flight instructor occupied the right seat. At the accident site, the landing gear actuator was found in the extended position, and the flap actuators were found in the 10 degree flap position. Examination of the right propeller revealed that the blade counterweight signature markings on the blade sockets indicated that the propeller was in the feathered position at impact. Examination of the right propeller unfeathering accumulator revealed the presence of three separate cracks at the transition between the circumferential stiffener and the thin-walled hemisphere of the diaphragm. The private pilot's toxicological tests indicated that 0.462 (ug/ml, ug/g) of Citalopram (also known by the trade name Celexa), 0.114 (ug/ml, ug/g) of N-desmethylcitapram, 0.024 (ug/ml, ug/g) of di-N-desmethylcitalopram, 0.194 (ug/ml, ug/g) of Diphenhydramine (commonly known by the trade name Benadryl) was detected in the blood and urine, and 17.406 (ug/ml, ug/g) acetaminophen was detected in the urine. Citalopram is a prescription antidepressant, N-desmethylcitapram and di-N-desmethylcitalopram are metabolites of citalopram, and diphenhydramine is an over-the counter antihistamine with sedative effects, often used to treat allergy symptoms. Diphenhydramine was detected in the private pilot's blood in levels consistent with the recent ingestion of several times a normal dose, and the pilot was likely impaired by the effects of diphenhydramine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.