Beech 95-B55 (T42A) accident near Damon, Texas, September 6, 2011
On September 6, 2011, a Beech 95-B55 (T42A), registered N742LB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Damon, Texas. It was a personal flight 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
The pilot’s improper fuel management during cruise flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2011
- Place
- Damon, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 (T42A) · all 95-B55 (T42A)s on the register
- Registration
- N742LB · no longer on the register · serial TC-1963
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in level cruise flight, about 2,300 feet above ground level, when both engines experienced a simultaneous complete loss of power. The pilot reported he was unable to restart either engine and established a glide for an emergency landing on a county road. During the landing, the airplane impacted thick mesquite bushes about 150 feet short of the intended landing spot and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that he failed to notice that the fuel selector for the right engine was in the “cross feed” position and that both engines were using fuel from the left fuel tank until the fuel in the left tank was depleted. Approximately 35 gallons of fuel was observed in the right fuel tank after the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Complacency › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,089 hours in all; 492 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,021 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 12, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,745 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 2011; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BYY Bay City TX
- Destination: SGR Sugar Land TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KLBX, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.