Beech King Air B90 accident near San Jon, New Mexico, May 15, 2001
On May 15, 2001 at about 5:22 am local time, a Beech King Air B90, registered N221CH, was destroyed in an accident near San Jon, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control due to his incapacitation for an undetermined reason. A contributing factor was the subsequent inadvertent stall/spin to the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2001 · about 5:22 am local time · cases in 2001
- Place
- San Jon, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech King Air B90
- Registration
- N221CH · registry record · serial LJ-436
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying a pressurized airplane at 25,000 feet (cabin altitude of 10,000 feet). For approximately 43 minutes before the accident, ARTCC called the pilot approximately six times and asked him to correct his altitude. Two transmissions from the pilot, between 2305 and 2311, were made with "slurred, and unclear speech." A 2 minute period followed with over 30 hot mike transmissions in which heavy breathing could be heard in some. At 2318:20, the pilot's last transmission was "ah Charlie Hotel, we, we've a little bit of a problem here. We're in a descent, we'll straighten it out in a minute." Witnesses observed the airplane spin into ground. The pilot's autopsy revealed moderate emphysema in his lungs with the presence of air filled bullae measuring up to 3 cm. On the two flights before the accident flight, the owner of the aircraft said that the pilot slept 2 hours out of the 4.5 hours of flight. Several friends of the pilot reported that he was also observed to "easily doze" off while on the ground, but he did so more regularly and for longer time periods while flying.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,800 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 15, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,557 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 23, 2000; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,650 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TUS Tucson AZ at 3:03 am
- Destination: ASG Springdale AR
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from TCC, 14 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N221CH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 2,217 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 2,217 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tucson International · departed from
- Springdale Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,114 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN01FA098.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.