Beechcraft A60 N98DS
11 March 1989 · Manassas, Virginia, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 11 March 1989 at about 20:15 local time, a Beechcraft A60 registered N98DS, operated by RTS Service Inc., was involved in an accident near Manassas, Virginia, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Manassas, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Manassas (W10)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A60
- Registration
- N98DS
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- RTS Service Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Executive/Corporate
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Wilmington
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO89FA022
People
5 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN MINIMUM ENGINE CONTROL SPEED AFTER A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER OF THE LEFT ENGINE FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. THE PILOT'S INEXPERIENCE IN TYPE OF AIRCRAFT AND AN OVER MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT AIRCRAFT WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WITNESSES REPORTED THE ACFT TOOK OFF AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 300 FT WHILE IN A WIDE LEFT TURN. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE WINGS WERE ROCKING AND ERRATIC ENGINE SOUNDS WERE NOTED. THE ACFT WAS TURNING DOWNWIND WHEN IT ABRUPTLY PITCHED DOWN, ROLLED LEFT UNTIL INVERTED, DESCENDED AND CRASH. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MALFUNCTION, ALTHOUGH THE LEFT PROP HAD LESS ROTATIONAL DAMAGE THAN THE RIGHT PROP. EXAMINATION OF ACFT RECORDS REVEALED THE ACFT WAS INACTIVE FOR ABOUT 9 YRS UNTIL IT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE LESS THAN A YEAR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE ACFT ACCUMULATED ABOUT 17 HRS SINCE IT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE. THE PLT STATED TO A WITNESS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THAT HE HAD NOT DONE SINGLE ENGINE OPERATION IN THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS OVERLOADED MORE THAN 200 LBS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft A60 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 1989 | Beechcraft A60 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | Gilbert Davidson | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jul 1987 | Beechcraft A60 | Santa Rosa, California, United States | Gerlach, John | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Nov 1992 | Beechcraft A60 | Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, United States | Huber, James D. | Fatal | 6 |
| 6 Jan 1995 | Beechcraft A60 | Hurley, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 23 Apr 1982 | Beechcraft A60 | Garland, Texas, United States | Michael D. Taylor | No injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1981 | Beechcraft A60 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1989 | Piper PA-28-180 | Ashland, Virginia, United States | A & S Flying Services | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Mar 1989 | Halstead SANDPIPER | Chesapeake, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1989 | Rotorway EXEC | Palmyra, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1989 | Beechcraft V35TC | Roanoke, Virginia, United States | Ruffin K. Harris | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Mar 1989 | Learjet 25 | Roanoke, Virginia, United States | Flight International, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Apr 1989 | Piper PA-32-260B | Richmond, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |