Beech BE76 accident near Glendale, Arizona, June 23, 2005
On June 23, 2005 at about 1:00 am local time, a Beech BE76, registered N5274M, was destroyed in an accident near Glendale, Arizona (Glendale Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's decision to attempt a single engine go-around with multiple aircraft system failures, and his improper in-flight decision to pass up one airport for landing and continue the flight to the home base airport with known mechanical deficiencies.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2005 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona · Glendale Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE76
- Registration
- N5274M · registry record · serial ME-24
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted level terrain during an attempted single engine go-around. During a training flight, the certified flight instructor (CFI) was demonstrating single engine maneuvers with the left engine shutdown. The first attempt to restart the engine was unsuccessful. During subsequent attempts to start the engine, the CFI and pilot under instruction (PUI) could smell burning insulation and saw a trace of smoke from behind the instrument panel, followed by a loss of electrical power to most of the aircraft systems. The CFI decided to return to their departure airport (home base), and overflew a closer airport that had an 8,500-foot-long runway. Upon arrival at their home base, the CFI did not declare an emergency; instead he requested a straight-in approach due to single engine operations. The CFI attempted to extend the landing gear but he did not get a down and locked indication for the nose gear. He queried the tower controller as to whether or not the landing gear was down, and the controller informed him it was not down and issued instructions for the CFI to abort the landing. The CFI initiated a go-around and tried to circle around to land on the opposite runway. Although the CFI was able to extend the landing gear, he was unable to maintain altitude. He declared an emergency just before impacting an open dirt field 1/4-mile north of the runway. Post accident investigation showed that the propeller on the left engine was half in feather and half out. No mechanical malfunctions or failures were found during the examination of the wreckage.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 108 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 1,940 as pilot in command; 1,498 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 908 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 800 as pilot in command; 470 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,748 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2005; 27.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,916 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360-AIG6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O-360AIG6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 7,150 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 109°F (43°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.67 inHg
- Observation at 7:58 am from GEU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.