Beech B 55 accident near Brownwood, Texas, April 30, 1985
On April 30, 1985 at about 12:25 pm local time, a Beech B 55, registered N613MC, was destroyed in an accident near Brownwood, Texas (Brownwood airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 30, 1985 · about 12:25 pm local time
- Place
- Brownwood, Texas · Brownwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech B 55 · all B 55s on the register
- Registration
- N613MC · no longer on the register · serial TC-2426
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PROFESSIONAL PILOT WAS FAMILIAR WITH HIS DESTINATION. HE HAD MADE THE SAME TRIP MANY TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. DESTINATION WEATHER INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE THAT EARLY IN THE MORNING, AND ALTHOUGH HE INDICATED OVER THE RADIO THAT HE WAS AWARE OF THE POOR CONDITIONS, HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE HIS APPROACH. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH GRADUALLY RISING TERRAIN IN LEVEL FLIGHT. MULTIPLE INDICATIONS OF POWER AND CONTROLLABILITY WERE FOUND ON SCENE AND IN SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATIONS.
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: 7,940 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 8, 1985; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Mccoy Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: T98 Sam Marcos TX at 11:45 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 5,598 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:59 pm from BWD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.