Beech 58P accident near Cassopolis, Michigan, August 30, 1983
On August 30, 1983 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Beech 58P, registered N88AX, was destroyed in an accident near Cassopolis, Michigan. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1983 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cassopolis, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58P · all 58Ps on the register
- Registration
- N88AX · no longer on the register · serial TJ142
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT ENTERED A FLAT SPIN WHILE PRACTICING VMC MANEUVERS. THE RIGHT FUEL VALVE WAS IN THE OFF POSITION.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,385 hours in all; 425 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 6,131 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 891 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 13, 1983; 146 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,240 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-WB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AZO Kalamazoo MI at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from AZO, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N88AX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.