Beech B23 accident near Jeffersonville, Indiana, December 26, 1988
On December 26, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Beech B23, registered N6100N, was destroyed in an accident near Jeffersonville, Indiana (Clark County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S POOR INFLIGHT DECISION IN ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AFTER A PARTIAL ENGINE FAILURE, AND HIS ENCOUNTERING A STALL/SPIN AT LOW ALTITUDE FROM WHICH HE WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jeffersonville, Indiana · Clark County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B23 · all B23s on the register
- Registration
- N6100N · registry record · serial M-1186
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES RPRTD THAT WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKING OFF FROM RWY 36, THERE WAS A PARTIAL LOSS OF ENG POWER. THEY RPRTD THE ACFT ENTERED A TURN TO THE WEST & FLEW OVER TREES BETWEEN RWYS 36 & 14 AT A RELATIVELY LOW ALTITUDE. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A STEEP LEFT TURN AS IF TO LINE UP WITH RWY 14. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ACFT THEN ROLLED ABRUPTLY TO THE RIGHT, ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT & CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT ENG REVEALED THE LEFT MAGNETO WAS LOOSE & COULD BE ROTATED IN ITS MOUNT IN EITHER DIRECTION. ALSO, WHEN THE #3 CYLINDER WAS REMOVED, IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK APRX HALF WAY AROUND THE HEAD. ONE EXHAUST STUD WAS MISSING FROM THE CYLINDER & THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ENG HAD BEEN OPERATING WITH AN EXHAUST LEAK ON THE CYLINDER. THE ENG HAD ACCUMULATED ONLY 274 HRS SINCE MAJOR OVERHAUL.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 174 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 152 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,582 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1988; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JVY Jeffersonville IN at 2:00 am
- Destination: SER Seymour IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:40 pm from SDF, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N6100N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI89FA036.