Beechcraft 95-B55 N550RT
19 November 1999 · Petaluma, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 November 1999 at about 00:40 local time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 registered N550RT was involved in an accident near Petaluma, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Petaluma, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Petaluma Muni (O69)
- Coordinates
- 38.2098, -122.7603
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 95-B55
- Registration
- N550RT
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Rosa → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX00LA036
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall/mush condition and subsequent hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was attempting a short field landing and allowed the airspeed to dissipate too soon. The airplane entered a stall/mush condition and landed hard. The force of the landing bent the engine mounts and broke the wings. The pilot reported that he had not experienced any mechanical problems with the aircraft. The airplane was equipped with vortex generators on the wings and vertical stabilizer, which, according to the STC developer, reduces the stall, approach and Vmca airspeeds by at least 10 knots. The various reference speed reductions were never approved for inclusion as a supplement to the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH). The STC developer said that pilots were supposed to use the original speeds and limitations in the POH. The pilot said he was using an approach speed derived from a sales brochure from the STC maker. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by maintaining 'greater speed.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 95 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1999 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Hermiston, Oregon, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Jan 1999 | Beechcraft 95-C55 | Pellston, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 29 Jan 1999 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Pearcy, Arkansas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 Feb 1999 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Coalinga, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Feb 1999 | Beechcraft 95 | Henderson, Nevada, United States | Sheble Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 6 Sep 1999 | Beechcraft 95-A55 | Ada, Oklahoma, United States | Bill G. Cantrell | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1999 | Rhea KR-2 | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Cessna 172A | Shoshone, California, United States | Charles R. Christman | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-150 | Strathmore, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Sep 1999 | Cessna 172N | San Jose, California, United States | Concord Flight Intl, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 1999 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Concord, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Azusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |