Beech 95-B55 (T42A) accident near Colby, Kansas, March 10, 2021
On March 10, 2021 at about 8:30 am local time, a 1978 Beech 95-B55 (T42A), registered N568P, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Colby, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to remove the towbar from the nose landing gear before takeoff, which resulted in a sustained adverse yaw condition, and his failure to adequately monitor the fuel system while circling the airport, which resulted in fuel starvation and loss of power to the right engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2021 · about 8:30 am local time
- Place
- Colby, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 (T42A) NO SERIES, built 1978 · all 95-B55 (T42A)s on the register
- Registration
- N568P · registry record · serial TC-2162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a local flight with the towbar attached to the nose landing gear. When the pilot rotated the airplane for takeoff, he felt the left rudder pedal “slam to the floor,” and he could not depress the right rudder pedal, which resulted in a sustained adverse yaw condition. The airplane climbed and drifted left of the runway, so the pilot continued the climb to pattern altitude. During the climb, he saw the towbar attached to the nosewheel through a mirror on the left engine nacelle. The pilot circled the airport about 30 minutes while assistance arrived. During the last circle, as he was descending, the right engine lost power. The pilot recalled that the right fuel gauge showed “low,” and the left fuel gauge was about 1/2 full. The pilot began to crossfeed fuel to the right engine, but he was unsuccessful in getting the right engine to restart. The pilot was unable to maintain airspeed and altitude and was having difficulty maintaining directional control of the airplane, so he elected to land the airplane in an open field. The airplane sustained damage to the fuselage and right wing during the landing. Although the airplane manual states that the crossfeed is to be used in level flight only, the pilot reported that fuel was being fed to the right fuel tank as evidenced by the fuel gauge indication increasing. The pilot reported the airplane’s altitude was a couple hundred feet above the ground when he turned the crossfeed on and this may have prevented him from having adequate time to restart the engine as he was occupied with trying to land the airplane.
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 engine power (partial) during approach
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 384.8 hours in all; 193.7 in this make and model; 14.8 in the last 90 days; 3.8 in the last 30 days; 361.7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,003.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 2020; 29.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor IO-470 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor IO-470 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.57 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on August 24, 2022. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Manual Except | PDF, 2 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.