Beech 65-B80 accident near Great Bend, North Dakota, April 12, 1995
On April 12, 1995 at about 1:43 pm local time, a Beech 65-B80, registered N7057J, was destroyed in an accident near Great Bend, North Dakota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot/mechanic's inadequate maintenance (inspection) of aircraft and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (VMC). Factors were icing conditions, deteriorated induction air ducting, and failure of a piston assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1995 · about 1:43 pm local time
- Place
- Great Bend, North Dakota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-B80 · all 65-B80s on the register
- Registration
- N7057J · no longer on the register · serial LD-291
- 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 airplane was cruising at 6,000 feet where it encountered icing conditions. When cleared to 3,600 feet, the pilot reported that one engine lost all power and the other one was running rough. The airplane continued the descent. After about ten minutes the airplane departed controlled flight, reversing heading and impacting near vertically in the terrain. A post accident examination of the left engine (which was feathered) found an induction duct which had deteriorated and begun to come apart. Foreign object material in the compressor assembly similar in appearance to material from the duct was found. The number five piston had a hole burned through it.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,100 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 5,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,887 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 29, 1994; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-540-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Cargo Masters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FSD Sioux Falls SD at 1:00 pm
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 17 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:58 pm from BWP, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.