Beech 95-A55 accident near Newport Beach, California, October 8, 1984
On October 8, 1984, a Beech 95-A55, registered N9572Y, was destroyed in an accident near Newport Beach, California (John Wayne airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1984
- Place
- Newport Beach, California · John Wayne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-A55 · all 95-A55s on the register
- Registration
- N9572Y · no longer on the register · serial TC-352
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PROPELLER SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO CLIMB STRAIGHT AHEAD AND WAS THEN OBSERVED IN S STEEP LEFT TURN DURING WHICH IT DESCENDED AND CRASHED INTO THE ROOF OF A BUILDING APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER MILE SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT. ONE LEFT ENGINE PROPELLER BLADE WAS FOUND ON THE RUNWAY. THE OTHER PROPELLER BLADE, ALONG WITH ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS, WAS FOUND ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY. THE PROPELLER HUB WAS SEPARATED, LONGITUDINALLY, ALONG THE CENTERLINE. THE LEFT AND RIGHT PROPELLERS HAD BEEN OVERHAULED AND WERE INSTALLED ON THE AIRCRAFT AT THE RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE AIRCRAFT HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL OF 3.6 HOURS SINCE THE INSTALLATION.
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: 8,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 1984; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,880 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 5,700 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.