Beech 55 accident near Burbank, California, March 21, 1991
On March 21, 1991 at about 2:51 pm local time, a Beech 55, registered N711RY, was destroyed in an accident near Burbank, California (Burbank airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT MISJUDGED THE LIFTOFF SPEED, AND PREMATURELY ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT FOR TAKEOFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1991 · about 2:51 pm local time
- Place
- Burbank, California · Burbank
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 55
- Registration
- N711RY · no longer on the register · serial TE-345
- 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
AFTER TRAVELING ABOUT 1,000 FT ON ITS TAKEOFF ROLL, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN BY WITNESSES AS BEGINNING ITS ROTATION. TOWER PERSONNEL REPORTED THEY COULD SEE THE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED LEFT, ITS LEFT WING CONTACTED THE RUNWAY, AND IT CONTINUED TO AN INVERTED POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT SLID DOWN THE RUNWAY AND THEN VEERED OFF ON TO THE GRASS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A REST, INVERTED, ABOUT 100 FT OFF THE RUNWAY AND ABOUT 1,380 FT FROM THE LOCATION WHERE THE TAKEOFF ROLL BEGAN. THE AIRCRAFT OPERATING HANDBOOK INDICATED THE NORMAL TAKEOFF DISTANCE TO THE POINT OF ROTATION AND LIFTOFF SHOULD BE BETWEEN 1,350 AND 1,400 FT. THIS DISTANCE WAS COMPUTED USING THE AIRCRAFT'S WEIGHT AND THE REPORTED WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. A DEPARTING BOEING 737 WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF ABOUT 5 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT'S TAKEOFF ROLL ON THE OPPOSITE RUNWAY. THE WINDS WERE CALM.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,780 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,661 as pilot in command; 1,026 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pacific Air Charter
The flight
- Destination: MYF San Diego CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 6,074 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:54 pm from BUR, 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.