Beech 58 accident near Dallas, Texas, April 20, 1990
On April 20, 1990 at about 6:11 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N770X, was destroyed in an accident near Dallas, Texas (Love Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE FUEL BOOST PUMPS FOR TAKE, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED ABOVE THE MINIMUM SINGLE ENGINE CONTROL SPEED (VMC), WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1990 · about 6:11 am local time
- Place
- Dallas, Texas · Love Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N770X · registry record · serial TH23
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STARTED TO TAKE OFF ON RWY 13R, BUT ABORTED, TAXIED OFF THE RWY & WENT TO THE ENG RUN-UP AREA. ABT 2 MIN LATER, HE ANNOUNCED AGAIN THAT HE WAS READY TO DEPART & WAS CLRD TO TAKE OFF. DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE PLT STATED THAT HE NEEDED TO RETURN FOR LNDG. HE WAS CLRD TO LND ON ANY RWY & HE DECIDED TO LND ON RWY 31L. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT IN A SHARP DSCNDG TURN FROM ABT 800' AGL AS IT WAS MANEUVERED BACK TOWARD THE RWY. HOWEVER, THE DSCNT RATE INCREASED, THEN THE ACFT CRASHED ABT 1000' SHORT OF THE RWY. DURING IMPACT, IT HIT A LAMP POLE & POWER LINE, THEN CAME TO REST & BURNED. THE FUEL BOOST PUMP SWITCHES WERE FND IN THE 'HIGH' BOOST POSITIONS & THE RGT PROP CONTROL WAS FND IN THE FEATHER POSITION. THE FLT MANUAL RCMDD THAT THE BOOST PUMPS BE IN THE 'LOW' POSITION FOR TAKEOFFS & LNDGS. A TEST OF THE USE OF THE HIGH BOOST POSITION IN A SIMILAR ACFT RESULTED IN A ROUGH RUNNING ENG & ENG STOPPAGE. A WITNESS TO THE ACDNT RPRTD THAT HE HEARD THE ENG SPUTTERING & MISFIRING BEFORE THE ACFT CRASHED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,631 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days; 3,516 as pilot in command; 615 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Air Exchange INC
The flight
- Departed from: DAL at 6:10 am
- Destination: ABI Abilene TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31L, 8,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 6:24 am from DAL, 1 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.