Boeing A75N1 accident near Bealeton, Virginia, July 9, 1989
On July 9, 1989 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Boeing A75N1, registered N56940, was destroyed in an accident near Bealeton, Virginia (Flying Circus airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WATER IN THE FUEL, WHICH RESULTED IN A MOMENTARY LOSS OF POWER DURING AN INVERTED LOW PASS, AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PLAN THE MANEUVER TO ALLOW FOR APPROPRIATE REMEDIAL ACTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 1989 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bealeton, Virginia · Flying Circus
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N1 A75N-1 · all A75N1s on the register
- Registration
- N56940 · no longer on the register · serial 75-725
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 33,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 30,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,139 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1989; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flying Circus Airshows, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from IAD
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.