Beech 95-55 accident near Pinckneyville, Illinois, January 15, 1998
On January 15, 1998, a Beech 95-55, registered N54643, was destroyed in an accident near Pinckneyville, Illinois. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot descent below minimum descent altitude and his intentional operation with known deficiencies in equipment. Factors were the dark night, fog, rain, and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 1998
- Place
- Pinckneyville, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-55 · all 95-55s on the register
- Registration
- N54643 · no longer on the register · serial TC-8
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told ATC that he was going to conduct a GPS approach to the destination airport with a landing on runway 18. The pilot subsequently received clearance for and initiated a night IFR approach to runway 18. The airplane impacted trees at the 75 foot level followed by impact with the terrain approximately 3.9 north of the airport. The accident debris track was on the extended centerline of the intended runway and the debris scattered on a heading in the direction of the runway. The elevation of the terrain in the area at the airport, and the accident site are similar. The owner of the airplane stated that the airplane was not equipped with a GPS system. The owner of the airplane said the pilot was known to own a handheld GPS unit. Identified at the accident site was a destroyed handheld GPS unit. The weather at the destination airport was described as 'marginal' for an approach with rain and fog according to the airplane owner who was present at the airport about the time of the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,345 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 4,880 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3K4 Hillsboro IL at 11:36 pm
- Destination: PJY IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from MDH, 13 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.