Beech D95A accident near Hitchcock, Texas, October 4, 2016
On October 4, 2016 at about 11:26 pm local time, a 1965 Beech D95A, registered N76S, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Hitchcock, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's loss of control during an aerodynamic stall demonstration, which resulted in an inadvertent spin from which he was unable to recover. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's lack of familiarity with the airplane's stall characteristics.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2016 · about 11:26 pm local time
- Place
- Hitchcock, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D95A, built 1965 · all D95As on the register
- Registration
- N76S · no longer on the register · serial TD-605
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A flight instructor and private pilot receiving instruction departed on the accident flight to practice aerodynamic stalls in the multiengine airplane. After the accident, the pilot recalled that the instructor initiated an aerodynamic stall maneuver about 4,000 ft mean sea level, then recalled the instructor "cursing" the airplane when it would not recover from the stall. The pilot could not recall any further details of the accident flight. A witness about one 1 mile south of the accident site saw the airplane descending in a fully- developed right spin. Data retrieved from an onboard GPS unit revealed that the airplane entered a climb from about 4,000 ft, reaching a peak altitude of about 4,800 ft. The airplane then immediately entered a descent that continued until the end of the recorded data. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Review of the flight instructor's logbooks indicated that he had accumulated over 9,800 total hours of flight experience, with over 4,600 hours in multiengine airplanes; however, he had only accumulated 16 hours in the 11 years before the accident. He had logged about 11 hours in the accident airplane, of which about 6 hours were as a flight instructor, all within the previous two months. His logbooks did not indicate that he had previously practiced aerodynamic stalls in the accident airplane; therefore, he was likely unfamiliar with the airplane's stall characteristics. Following a series of fatal accidents in Beech Baron/Travel Air airplanes between 1978 and 1980, the National Transportation Safety Board issued safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, stating that these airplanes have a propensity for entering flat spins under high asymmetric power and low speed conditions; such conditions are frequently encountered during multiengine emergency (engine-out) training. It is likely that, while demonstrating aerodynamic stalls, the airplane entered a spin from which the flight instructor was unable to recover.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,898 hours in all; 12 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 114 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-360-B1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-360-B1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LVJ Houston TX
- Destination: LVJ Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from KGLS, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on October 20, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Video, N76S | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Maps of Accident Area | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records Pertinent to the Investigation | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 5 | N76S GPS Flight Profile | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Engine Data Monitor - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Attachment 1 to Engine Data Monitor - Specialist's Factual Report | data file | Download |
| 8 | Iic's Estimate of the Flight Instructor's Flight Experience | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Iic's Estimate of the Private Pilot's Flight Experience | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | NTSB Safety Recommendations A-81-49 Through -53 | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Certification of Party Representative to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 14 | Report Photos | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.
