Beech B200 accident near Rio Rancho, New Mexico, October 20, 1998
On October 20, 1998 at about 6:26 pm local time, a Beech B200, registered N50PM, was destroyed in an accident near Rio Rancho, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight of the aircraft, resulting in fuel supply exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 1998 · about 6:26 pm local time
- Place
- Rio Rancho, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B200 · all B200s on the register
- Registration
- N50PM · no longer on the register · serial BB-1570
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During his preflight, the pilot checked the fuel gauges and interpreted them as indicating that the aircraft's fuel tanks were full, and did not check the tanks visually. One hour after departure, the aircraft experienced a failure of the right engine, followed several minutes later by the failure of the left engine. He made an emergency landing in a field northwest of Albuquerque. The pilot stated in his accident report: 'When I viewed the [fuel] gauges, I mistook the '600' lbs. as normal for 'full aux.' When I pressed the toggle switch, and saw movement to the 'left'... I mistook this for the mains.' A postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed that no fuel was present in either the auxiliary or main fuel tanks.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,720 hours in all; 1,488 in this make and model; 5,720 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 591 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 8, 1998; 203 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-42 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAS Las Vegas NV at 3:30 pm
- Destination: FTY Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N50PM 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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DEN99LA014.