Beech 95-B55 accident near Oak Grove, Louisiana, January 5, 2002
On January 5, 2002 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N77RY, was destroyed in an accident near Oak Grove, Louisiana (Costello airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 2002 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Oak Grove, Louisiana · Costello · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N77RY · no longer on the register · serial TC-1747
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness stated that he heard the airplane over fly the private airport at what sounded like a "low altitude." The witness went outside and observed the airplane approximately 1/4 of a mile southeast, at 300 feet above the ground, in a steep left bank. The airplane entered a spin, rotated 1-1.5 times, and impacted the ground. The witness reported that the cloud base was approximately 500 feet agl. On the day prior to the accident date, the instrument-rated pilot flew the airplane to a private ranch. Concerned with the deteriorating weather conditions, the pilot elected to depart the ranch one day earlier than he had planned, then return to the ranch via his vehicle. Prior to departure, the pilot obtained a weather briefing and visual flight rules (VFR) was not recommended for his route of flight. The pilot purchased the airplane in August 1994, and reported on an insurance form, dated May 14, 2001, that he accumulated 1,081 flight hours in the accident airplane make and model. Examination of the airplane and engines revealed no evidence of any pre-impact discrepances.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,611 hours in all; 1,081 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 10, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,187.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2001; 32.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-470-L (21) (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Avon MS at 3:55 pm
- Destination: MLU Monroe LA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from MLU, 42 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.
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.