Beech 200 accident near Naples, Florida, January 2, 2001
On January 2, 2001 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Beech 200, registered N45CF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Naples, Florida (Naples Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to obtain assistance from the FBO in the form of a marshaller and failure of the pilot to maintain clearance resulting in the on-ground collision with the light pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 2001 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Naples, Florida · Naples Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N45CF · registry record · serial BB-736
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was parked by an unknown person from Naples Airport Authority after landing several days earlier and according to personnel from the Naples Airport Authority, remained in the same position that it had been parked from then to the arrival of the pilot to depart on the accident date. The pilot stated that personnel from Naples Airport Authority were busy and unable to take several passengers to the airplane from the fixed base operator (FBO). During the preflight, he noted the light pole was just behind the outboard side of the right wing. He obtained his IFR clearance and was cleared to taxi. He began to taxi without a marshaller and with a row of airplanes ahead of his location, he initiated an immediate left turn to maintain right wingtip clearance with parked airplanes. During the turn, the right horizontal stabilizer contacted the light pole. Individuals nearby who witnessed the collision ran near the airplane and got the pilots attention who then secured the airplane. According to a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector who examined the airplane, the leading edge of the right horizontal stabilizer and the forward and aft spars of the vertical stabilizer were damaged. Examination of the area where the airplane had been parked revealed double concentric circles pole painted on the ramp centered on the light pole; the outer circle had a radius of approximately 32 feet. Radial lines were painted on the ramp from the base of the light pole to the inner circle line. A north/south oriented taxiway line west of where the airplane had been parked was blacked out; no leadout line was noted from the spot where the airplane had been parked forward to the blacked out taxiway line.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,168 hours in all; 895 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 29, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,035 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 25, 2000; 180 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KAPF Naples FL at 7:00 pm
- Destination: KLOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 6:46 pm from KAPF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.