Beech 60 accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming, April 21, 1995
On April 21, 1995 at about 4:16 pm local time, a Beech 60, registered N711PS, was destroyed in an accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS WERE THE INSTRUMENT WEATHER CONDITONS AND THE EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD IMPOSED ON THE SOLO PILOT ATTEMPTING TO DEAL WITH AN EMERGENCY SITUATION WHILE FLYING IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1995 · about 4:16 pm local time
- Place
- Cheyenne, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 60 · all 60s on the register
- Registration
- N711PS · registry record · serial P-4
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD 'A PROBLEM...AN OVERBOOST SITUATION,' AND WANTED TO RETURN FOR LANDING. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, SO THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR THE ILS RUNWAY 26 APPROACH. A WITNESS SAW THE AIRPLANE EMERGE FROM THE LOW OVERCAST IN A WINGS LEVEL DESCENT, THEN PITCH OVER TO A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE AND IMPACT A SHOPPING CENTER SIGN. THE LEFT TURBOCHARGER WASTEGATE WAS FOUND IN THE OPEN (LOW BOOST) POSITION, AND THE RIGHT TURBOCHARGER WASTEGATE WAS FOUND IN THE CLOSED (HIGH BOOST) POSITION. THE RIGHT TURBOCHARGER BUTTERFLY VALVE WAS SEVERELY ERODED, THE PIN WAS MISSING, AND THE VALVE WAS FREE TO ROTATE ON THE SHAFT. A HOLE WAS BURNT THROUGH THE RIGHT ENGINE NUMBER 1 CYLINDER EXHAUST VALVE. BOTH PROPELLERS WERE IN THE LOW PITCH-HIGH RPM RANGE. BOTH ENGINES AND TURBOCHARGERS WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND HAD NOT BEEN OVERHAULED IN 21 YEARS. A TOXICOLOGY TEST SHOWED 0.564 MCG/ML OF SERTRALINE (ANTIDEPRESSANT) IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD. SERTRALINE WAS NOT APPROVED FOR USE WHILE FLYING AN AIRCRAFT.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 683 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 559 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,462 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1994; 179 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,725 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-541-E1A4 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CYS WY at 4:06 pm
- Destination: COS Colorado Spgs CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:24 pm from CYS, 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.