Beech 70 accident near College Station, Texas, September 30, 2001
On September 30, 2001 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Beech 70, registered N45BD, was substantially damaged in an accident near College Station, Texas (Easterwood Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 9 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 loss of right engine power during takeoff initial climb for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2001 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- College Station, Texas · Easterwood Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 70
- Registration
- N45BD · no longer on the register · serial LB-24
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the intial takeoff climb, at 100 feet agl , the pilot reduced power to climb power (75%). Approximately 10 seconds later, the right engine lost partial power (approximately 40%). Five seconds later, the right engine power increased to climb power for about 10 seconds, then the engine lost total power. The pilot executed a gear-up forced landing to a grassy area between two roads approximately 1/2 mile north of the runway. Subsequently, the airplane's left wing struck a road sign and the outboard 3 feet of the wing separated. The airplane skidded approximately 100 feet and came to rest upright in the grass. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 25, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,848.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 21, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 8,200 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-480-A1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLL College Station TX
- Destination: ODO Odessa TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 6:40 pm from CLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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 N45BD 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 FTW01LA212.