Beech 65-B80 accident near Paint Rock, Texas, October 26, 1995
On October 26, 1995 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Beech 65-B80, registered N9NP, was destroyed in an accident near Paint Rock, Texas. 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 impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol which resulted in his improper decision to shutdown an engine, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed for single-engine flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1995 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Paint Rock, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-B80 · all 65-B80s on the register
- Registration
- N9NP · no longer on the register · serial LD-428
- 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
Witnesses observed the airplane contact the water while buzzing a lake, 'emerge from a cloud of water,' and enter a climb trailing white vapor. As the airplane approached the lake shore, the right propeller 'quit turning,' then the airplane entered a steep right bank and impacted the ground. The right propeller lever was found in the feather position. Propeller teardowns revealed signatures indicating the right propeller was feathered and the left propeller was operating in the low pitch range at impact. Disassembly of the engines revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical anomalies, and, in the opinion of the manufacturer, 'both engines appeared capable of producing power prior to impact.' Toxicological tests showed 178.000 mg/dl (0.178%) ethanol in vitreous fluid, 90.000 mg/dl (0.09%) ethanol in blood, 114.000 mg/dl (0.114%) ethanol in brain fluid, 3.000 mg/dl acetaldehyde in brain fluid, 22.000 mg/dl acetaldehyde in blood, and 4.000 mg/dl 2-propanol in brain fluid. The levels of ethanol found indicate ingestion of alcohol, and the levels of acetaldehyde and 2-propanol (metabolites of ethanol) detected support ingestion of alcohol.
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: 2,502 hours in all; 593 in this make and model; 138 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,127 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 17, 1995; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-540-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CNW Waco TX at 2:41 pm
- Destination: SJT San Angelo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.