Beech E55 accident near Terrell, Texas, November 11, 1983
On November 11, 1983 at about 6:15 am local time, a Beech E55, registered N911J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Terrell, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1983 · about 6:15 am local time
- Place
- Terrell, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E55 · all E55s on the register
- Registration
- N911J · registry record · serial TE-916
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A FLT, LATE AT NIGHT, THE PLT TURNED ON THE HEATER. ABOUT 40 TO 45 MI NORTH OF THE LEONA VOR, HE REPORTEDLY ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT & BEGAN WORKING ON THE FLT LOGS. ABOUT 50 MI FURTHER NORTH, THE ACFT FLEW INTO A FIELD IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE PLT COULD NOT RECALL ANYTHING ABOUT THE TIME FROM ENGAGEMENT OF THE AUTOPILOT UNTIL IMPACT. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE AUX FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY & NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL FLOW DIVIDER OR FUEL INJECTOR LINES. ALSO, THE PROP BLADES WERE BENT AFT. THE PLT SUSPECTED CARBON MONXIDE FROM THE HEATER. HOWEVER, AN EXAM OF THE HEATER REVEALED IT WAS WELL WITHIN PUBLISHED PARAMETERS & HAD NO SIGNIFICANT DISCREPANCIES. THE PLT WAS ALSO EMPLOYED AS A CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR DURING THE DAY.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,735 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 1,640 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX at 4:55 am
- Destination: DAL Dallas TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 350° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.