Beech D95A accident near Dillingham, Hawaii, March 19, 1999
On March 19, 1999 at about 10:37 pm local time, a Beech D95A, registered N199Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dillingham, Hawaii (Dillingham airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student's failure to maintain aircraft control in the gusty crosswind conditions due to limited left yaw authority induced by the simulated single engine approach. The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight and his failure to terminate the simulated single engine approach when the aircraft encountered control difficulties were also causal.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 1999 · about 10:37 pm local time
- Place
- Dillingham, Hawaii · Dillingham · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D95A · all D95As on the register
- Registration
- N199Q · no longer on the register · serial TD-581
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor and pilot trainee were performing a simulated single engine approach with the right engine throttle retarded. The CFI reported that they experienced a strong crosswind gust just prior to touchdown and the left wing was lifted upward. He stated that all efforts to regain control with the full left aileron and left rudder failed. The airplane continued to bank just above the ground. The right wing struck the ground and the aircraft landed hard. The landing gear was sheared off and the aircraft came to rest upright 180 degrees from the direction of flight. The pilot reported that the winds at the time of the accident were from about 060 degrees with gusts to 25 knots. The pilot trainee reported that he was on the controls until the wing struck the ground. He further reported that he had not tried to apply power or attempt a go-around. A ground witness who is a multiengine rated pilot, heard the aircraft call 'engine out' over the frequency while on approach. He observed that the airplane appeared to be very slow and was in a left yaw headed 20 to 30 degrees off the runway heading. The aircraft then rapidly turned right with the nose still high, and crossed over into the grass area between the runway and parallel taxiway. The right wing tip dug into the sod. The witness stated that the aircraft then impacted the ground and sheared the landing gear. A second witness, also a multiengine rated pilot, reported that he too thought that the approach seemed too slow for that type of aircraft and stated that he had not heard any power increases to try to go around. The aircraft was examined after the accident, with control system continuity established, and the rudder pedals and rudder control brackets were in place.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 938 hours in all; 121 in this make and model; 278 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 852 as pilot in command; 474 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,491 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 4, 1999; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI at 9:15 pm
- Destination: HDH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 9,007 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N199Q 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.