Beech 95-B55 accident near Royse City, Texas, November 24, 1997
On November 24, 1997 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N6835Q, was destroyed in an accident near Royse City, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's impairment due to drugs, and his ensuing failure to maintain minimum required airspeed for flight, which resulted in a stall/spin. A factors was the loss of power to both engines due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's improper use of the fuel selector.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1997 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Royse City, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N6835Q · no longer on the register · serial TC-709
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the twin engine airplane in a 'slightly nose-down flat spin.' Other witnesses reported that a 'sputter or cough' and a 'faint stall-out' directed their attention to the 'spiraling' airplane. Ground signatures and wreckage distribution were consistent with a vertical impact in a flat attitude. The main fuel tanks were topped off with 70.2 gallons of fuel for the 534 nm cross country flight. The amount of fuel in the auxiliary fuel tanks at time of departure could not be determined. Both fuel selectors were found between the AUX and OFF positions. No anomalies were noted during the engine runs of both engines, and control continuity was established to all flight controls. Toxicology findings were positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine, chlorpheniramine, phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine, and salicylate. In the opinion of Dr. Canfield, Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI), the levels of both methamphetamine and amphetamine detected in the pilot and passenger were very high and would have caused impairment in performance in the cockpit.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- 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: BHM Birmingham AL at 1:00 pm
- Destination: FTW Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 pm from GVT, 14 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.