Beech 58 accident near Chicago, Illinois, October 23, 1986
On October 23, 1986 at about 6:03 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N7305R, was destroyed in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (Midway airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- October 23, 1986 · about 6:03 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Midway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N7305R · no longer on the register · serial TH476
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED HOME BASE WITH AN UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE FUEL, AFTER BEING ADVISED BY THE LINEMAN/REFUELER OF THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ONBOARD. THE PILOT ASSUMED THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN REFUELED THE PREVIOUS EVENING AND DEPARTED ON THIS FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD NOT BEEN REFUELED THE PREVIOUS EVENING. FUEL EXHAUSTION WAS EXPERIENCED FIVE MILES SHORT OF THE PILOTS INTENDED DESTINATION AIRPORT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,511 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 1,359 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 24, 1986; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JEF Jefferson City MO at 4:28 pm
- Destination: MDW Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,300 ft; not recorded at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:03 pm from DMW, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.