Beech 95-B55 accident near Cullman, Alabama, November 24, 1982
On November 24, 1982 at about 4:40 am local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N18411, was destroyed in an accident near Cullman, Alabama (Folsom airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1982 · about 4:40 am local time
- Place
- Cullman, Alabama · Folsom · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N18411 · no longer on the register · serial TC-1979
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RWY 1, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO CLIMB IN A STEEP ATTITUDE INTO THE CLOUDS. THE ACFT CRASHED IN A NEARVERTICAL ATTITUDE ABOUT 3/4 MI FROM THE RWY ON A BEARING OF 050 DEG. THE CONTROL LOCK PIN FLAG WAS FOUND IN THE VICINITYOF THE CONTROL COLUMN WITH THE PIN MISSING. EXAMINATION OF THE ELEVATOR TRIM MOTOR GEARS REVEALED A DAMAGE TOOTH ON THE DRIVE GEAR & A SERIES OF MARKED TEETH ON THE DRIVER GEAR. THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB WAS FOUND IN THE MAX DEFLECTION POSITION(FULL-UP TAB.) THE ELEVATOR TRIM MOTOR, WHEN OPERATING, TAKES 57.5 SECS TO MOVE FROM NEUTRAL TO FULL UP; 27 SECS TO MOVEFROM NEUTRAL TO FULL DOWN; & 67 SECS TO MOVE FROM FULL UP TO FULL DOWN. WHEN THE CONTROL LOCK PIN IS INSTALLED, THE ELEVATOR IS LOCKED 12 DEGS DOWN & THE AILERON IS LOCKED 8 DEGS RIGHT AILERON UP. THE LEFT PROP BLADES WERE BENT AFT ABOUT THE BLADE FACES. SOME CHORDWISE SCRAPES WERE NOTED. THE PROP HAD SEPARATED FROM THE ENG DRIVE SHAFT UNDER A TORSION & BENDING LOAD.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 16,060 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Central American Inter'L INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 3A1 Cullman AL
- Destination: Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 5,120 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:24 pm from HSV, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.