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Accidents · NTSB CEN19FA189 · Final report

Beechcraft 58 accident near Hiawatha, Kansas, June 28, 2019

On June 28, 2019 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 1975 Beechcraft 58, registered N4614S, was destroyed in an accident during approach near Hiawatha, Kansas (Hiawatha Municipal Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 28, 2019 · about 10:15 pm local time
Place
Hiawatha, Kansas · Hiawatha Municipal Airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Beechcraft 58, built 1975 · all 58s on the register
Registration
N4614S · no longer on the register · serial TH-684
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot was on a cross-country flight in a twin-engine airplane.  A witness, located at the destination airport, reported that the accident airplane approached the airport from the south and then headed northeast, as if to enter the airport traffic pattern. He added that the airplane appeared to climb and then started a left turn.  After starting the turn, the airplane flipped inverted, the nose dropped, and the airplane disappeared from view behind terrain.  Examination of the wreckage site, located about 1 mile northeast of the airport, revealed that the airplane had impacted terrain on its bottom fuselage, and came to rest upright. A post-crash fire consumed a majority of the cabin and the inboard sections of the wings. The wreckage was confined to one area and all major components were accounted for on site. Though the examination was limited by thermal and impact damage, no pre-impact abnormalities were observed during the airframe or engines examinations that would have precluded normal operations.  A review of the pilot's autopsy and medical history did not identify any evidence of an incapacitating event. The airplane's roll to an inverted attitude is consistent with an inflight loss of control event. The ground scars and damage to the airplane are consistent with a probable attempted recovery from the loss of control; however, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined based on the available information.

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

  1. Loss of control in flight during approach defining event
  2. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
  3. Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 1,498.4 hours in all; 318.7 in this make and model; 1,351.6 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: BasicMed
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 3,591.8 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 2018
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
  • Engine 2: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Departed from: 3AU Augusta KS at 9:23 pm
  • Destination: K87 Hiawatha KS
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 17, 3,400 ft by 100 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 200° at 13 knots, gusting 18
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
  • Observation at 10:53 pm from KFNB, 11 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

10 documents, released by the NTSB on August 7, 2020. 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.

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.