Beech C-99 accident near Avenal, California, November 16, 1994
On November 16, 1994 at about 10:40 am local time, a Beech C-99, registered N63995, was destroyed in an accident near Avenal, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
loss of aircraft control at night by the pilot for unknown reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 1994 · about 10:40 am local time
- Place
- Avenal, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-99 · all C-99s on the register
- Registration
- N63995 · no longer on the register · serial U-178
- 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
THE PILOT WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN LEVEL AT 10,000 FEET MSL IN VFR CONDITIONS. THE ATP RATED PILOT WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT, AND THERE WAS NO AUTOPILOT INSTALLED IN THE BEECH C-99 AIRLINER. ABOUT 10 MINUTES AFTER A HAND-OFF FROM LOS ANGELES CENTER TO OAKLAND CENTER WAS ACKNOWLEDGED, RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AT 0239 HOURS. A REVIEW OF THE RADAR DATA REVEALED THAT OVER THE LAST 4 MINUTES THE AIRPLANE'S ALTITUDE INCREASED TO 10,500 FEET, THEN IT STARTED A LEFT DESCENDING TURN WITH A MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF ABOUT 2.1 NM. THE LAST RADAR RETURNS INDICATE THE AIRPLANE CONTINUING THE LEFT TURN AND DESCENDING THROUGH 5,600 FEET MSL, WITH A DESCENT RATE OF ABOUT 18,000 FEET PER MINUTE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT, ENGINES, OR PROPELLERS.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,880 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,031 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 4, 1994; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-36 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ameriflight, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BUR Burbank CA at 9:51 am
- Destination: OAK Oakland CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from NLC, 25 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.
Other NTSB records under N63995 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.