Beech 76 accident near Doral, Florida, November 4, 2019
On November 4, 2019 at about 2:50 am local time, a 1979 Beech 76, registered N6015Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Doral, Florida (Miami Intl airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of power to both engines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2019 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Doral, Florida · Miami Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 76 No Series, built 1979 · all 76s on the register
- Registration
- N6015Z · registry record · serial ME-145
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he estimated that he had sufficient fuel onboard before departing on the flight. About 20 miles from the destination, at 2,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the right engine suddenly lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot then diverted toward a closer airport. About 500 ft msl, the left engine also suddenly lost power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and attempted a forced landing on a road. Shortly before touchdown, the left wing impacted a truck on the road and the airplane was substantially damaged. Postaccident examination revealed that both fuel tanks were intact, and no fuel was leaking. About 1 cup and 1/2 cup of fuel were recovered from the left and right fuel tanks, respectively. Thus, it is likely that the pilot either incorrectly estimated his fuel state before departure or he underestimated the fuel required to reach the destination and exhausted the airplane's fuel supply, which resulted in a total loss of power to both engines.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during enroute (descent)
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (descent)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,491 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 157 in the last 90 days; 83 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command; 1,182 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 28, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,312 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 226 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days; 1,244 as pilot in command; 1,058 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 5, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,508 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O360-A1G6D (piston); 11,508 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O360-A1G6D (piston); 2,701 hours total
- Operator: Gps Global Flight School
The flight
- Departed from: HXD Hilton Head SC at 11:40 pm
- Destination: TMB Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from KMIA, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 ERA20TA030.