Beech 58P accident near Flagstaff, Arizona, December 20, 1991
On December 20, 1991 at about 4:12 pm local time, a Beech 58P, registered N766BA, was destroyed in an accident near Flagstaff, Arizona (Flagstaff airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
**This report was modified on 4/21/2016. Please see the public docket for this accident for additional information.** the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed at low altitude, which resulted in a stall and loss of airplane control during a circling approach to landing in instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1991 · about 4:12 pm local time
- Place
- Flagstaff, Arizona · Flagstaff
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58P · all 58Ps on the register
- Registration
- N766BA · registry record · serial TJ-338
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
**This report was modified on 4/21/2016. Please see the public docket for this accident for additional information.** The instrument-rated commercial pilot was executing a circling VOR/DME instrument approach in IFR conditions. The pilot reported the runway in sight and was circling to land west of the airport just before the accident. Witnesses reported that the airplane descended in a near vertical attitude from the overcast, striking a highway curb lane about .75 miles from the airport. No evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions with the primary flight controls or engines was found. The pitch trim position could not be determined conclusively because the trim control cables were broken and disrupted by impact. However, evidence was not sufficient to conclude that full nose-down trim was present at the time of upset. An examination of the autopilot annunciator module indicated that the HDG, NAV, AUTOTRIM and FAIL warning lights may have been illuminated. When the autopilot detects a trim system failure, the trim servo is deactivated and the AUTOTRIM and FAIL warning lights will flash. The AUTOTRIM light will also flash if the trim master switch is turned off, making the autopilot system evidence inconclusive. Because the autopilot system evidence was inconclusive, the role of the autopilot in the accident could not be determined. However, airplane descent information provided by witnesses and impact evidence were consistent with an aerodynamic stall at low altitude and were not consistent with an uncorrected autopilot induced pitch-down excursion.
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: 2,867 hours in all; 605 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,431 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 25, 1991
- Maximum gross weight: 6,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-WB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 3:34 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 6,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from FLG, 1 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.