Beech 58 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, August 9, 2002
On August 9, 2002 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N8180R, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale Executive airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's abrupt pull up and his failure to maintain airspeed during a go-around, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and impact with the terrain during the resultant uncontrolled descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2002 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N8180R · no longer on the register · serial TH-522
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern for left hand traffic. On short final, and the airplane in the landing configuration, he was instructed by the tower to go around. As he initiated the go around he said he experienced a "yawing tendency." He requested the crossing runway for landing, and said he experienced what seemed to be an "engine failure." The airplane "banked violently" to the left, and impacted the ground. Witnesses said they watched the airplane pitch up almost perpendicular to the runway, bank about 30 degrees to the right, roll left, pitch nose down, and impact the ground at about a 45 degree angle. Examination of both engines and the airframe revealed no discrepancies.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,934 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 215 in the last 90 days; 1,783 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,656.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 7, 2001; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Execstar Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MYAW Walker'S Cay at 7:20 pm
- Destination: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 08, 6,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from FXE
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.