Beech A60 accident near Abilene, Texas, February 14, 2013
On February 14, 2013 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Beech A60, registered N7466D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Abilene, Texas. It was a business 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 2013 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Abilene, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A60 · all A60s on the register
- Registration
- N7466D · no longer on the register · serial P-139
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he had added fuel at the previous fuel stop and that he was using a fuel totalizer to determine the quantity of fuel onboard. After climbing to a cruise altitude of 14,000 feet above ground level, he discovered that the fuel mixture control was frozen and that he was unable to lean the mixture to a lower fuel flow setting. The pilot reported that because of the increased fuel consumption, he briefly considered an en route stop for additional fuel but decided to continue. During descent, the airplane experienced a complete loss of power in both engines, and the pilot made an emergency off-field, gear-up landing about 7 miles from the destination. The airplane impacted terrain and thick scrub trees, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings, both engine mounts, and the fuselage. A postaccident examination found that only a trace of fuel remained. The pilot also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure and that his inadequate fuel management was partly because he had become overconfident in his abilities after 50 years of flying.
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
- 100900 during abrupt maneuver
- 402192 during 402
- 600440 during other
- 600470 during other
- 800093 during 800
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Complacency › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › (general) › (general) › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 28, 2012
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,725 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, November 1, 2012; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,775 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming TIO-541 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming TI0-541 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: FSM Fort Smith AR at 2:30 pm
- Destination: ABI Abilene TX
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°C, dew point 25°C
- Altimeter: 30.049999 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from KABI, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN13CA162.