Beech B55 accident near England, Arkansas, November 23, 1990
On November 23, 1990 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Beech B55, registered N811J, was destroyed in an accident near England, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S MISJUDGEMENT OF ALTITUDE, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS FAILURE TO ARREST DESCENT FROM A DIVE. THE PILOT'S IMPAIRED JUDGMENT FROM CONSUMPTION OF ETHANOL (ALCOHOL) WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 1990 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- England, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B55 · all B55s on the register
- Registration
- N811J · no longer on the register · serial TC162
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT FROM LINCOLN, KANSAS TO ENGLAND, ARKANSAS. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT FLYING ERRATICALLY, NEAR A LAKE, CLOSE TO THE DESTN. THEY ATTRIBUTED THIS AS TRYING TO GAIN THEIR RECOGNITION IN THE FORM OF A GREETING. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED WHILE FLYING TOWARD THE LAKE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT IT HAD ENTERED A DIVE & IMPACTED THE GND AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED BEFORE ARRESTING THE DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FND. THE TOXICOLOGY TESTING REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF WIDELY VARYING LEVELS OF ETHANOL IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD (79 MG/DL OR 0.079%), LUNG (65 MG/DL), & SPLEEN (36MG/DL), AS WELL AS A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT (127 MG/DL)IN HIS URINE. THE TOXICOLOGIST INDICATED THAT SOME OF THE ETHANOL MAY HAVE BEEN FROM PUTREFACTION, BUT SOME WAS FROM PRE-ACCIDENT INGESTION BY THE PILOT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,499 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1990; 133 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
The flight
- Departed from: K71 Lincoln KS
- Destination: England AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- 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.