Beech BE-50 accident near Altus, Oklahoma, November 16, 2001
On November 16, 2001 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech BE-50, registered N432L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Altus, Oklahoma (Altus Mountain Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare and his failure to maintain directional control. A contributing factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 2001 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Altus, Oklahoma · Altus Mountain Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-50
- Registration
- N432L · no longer on the register · serial CH-164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Fog was encountered during the day IFR cross-country flight and the pilot elected to divert to a nearby municipal airport. The single-engine land rated private pilot inadvertently landed the multiengine airplane at a military base. Subsequently, the airplane departed from the military base en route to the municipal airport. During the landing at the municipal airport, the airplane landed hard, bounced, departed the runway, rolled through a ditch, and the nose landing gear collapsed. Numerous attempts to obtain a completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) from the pilot were unsuccessful.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,383.1 hours
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-14AG (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POF Altus OK
- Destination: AXS Altus OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 5,501 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.