Beech D-55 accident near Leesburg, Georgia, April 22, 1987
On April 22, 1987 at about 7:00 am local time, a Beech D-55, registered N478MP, was destroyed in an accident near Leesburg, Georgia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- April 22, 1987 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D-55 · all D-55s on the register
- Registration
- N478MP · registry record · serial TE477
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A RETURN FLIGHT AT NIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE IMPACT DISPLACED THE WING ASSEMBLY REARWARD PERPENDICULARLY THROUGH THE REAR SPAR ASSEMBLY. BOTH ENGINE AND PROPELLER ASSEMBLIES WERE BURIED IN THE GROUND ABOUT THREE FEET. THE INVESTIGATION FAILED TO INDICATE ANY AIRCRAFT PROBLEMS. THE PILOT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF SURRENDERING HIS PILOT CERTIFICATE FOR A PREVIOUS AVIATION VIOLATION. THE PILOT'S STATE DRIVERS LICENSE WAS ALSO SUSPENDED FOR A MOVING TRAFFIC VIOLATION. RECORDS INDICATED HE HAD RECEIVED 17 MOVING TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS SINCE 1975.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,975 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 1986; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arline Academy,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: TLH Tallahassee FL at 6:24 am
- Destination: Griffin GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.