Beech BE-95A accident near Big Lake, Texas, December 17, 1999
On December 17, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Beech BE-95A, registered N991Q, was destroyed in an accident near Big Lake, Texas (Reagan County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot-in-command's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the aborted landing. Contributing factors were the crosswind, turbulence, and the pilot's lack of total experience in the make and model of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Texas · Reagan County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-95A
- Registration
- N991Q · no longer on the register · serial TD-496
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot-in-command (PIC), who was in the right seat, observed that the windsock at the non-towered airport was 'approximately half erect, showing a west/southwest wind.' The PIC reported that he and the left-seat pilot, who were both commercial/flight instructor pilots, made a decision that the PIC would land the airplane. The PIC stated that 'we completed the before landing checklist.' The PIC reported that the airplane touched down on the centerline of runway 16, and a 'strong gust from the west took us off centerline and nearly made us wingover.' The PIC aborted the landing, applied full throttle, and retracted the gear and flaps. Subsequently, the stall warning horn sounded, the left wing struck a power line, and the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent to the left and impacted a carport, residential fences, and trees before coming to rest. The post-impact fire destroyed the airplane. The PIC reported 4 hours of flight time in the accident make and model of airplane. The wind was reported, by a witness/pilot, variable from the west/southwest and gusty. Airmet Tango was valid at the time of the accident for occasional moderate turbulence below 8,000 feet msl. There was no record that the pilots had requested an in-flight weather briefing during the cross-country flight. Both fuel selectors were found in the auxiliary fuel tank position. According to the airplane owner's manual and the checklist, auxiliary fuel tanks are to be used during level flight only. During the investigation, there were no mechanical discrepancies or anomalies found that would have contributed to 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: 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: 400 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 360 as pilot in command; 250 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 5T6 Santa Teresa NM at 6:30 pm
- Destination: E41
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 16, 4,031 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.