Beech BE-76 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, November 18, 2003
On November 18, 2003 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Beech BE-76, registered N6013M, was involved in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Daytona Beach airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper starting procedure which led to inadvertent activation of the propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2003 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Daytona Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-76
- Registration
- N6013M · no longer on the register · serial ME-102
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses seated in the airplane stated that the pilot-in-command (PIC) had initially boarded the airplane and sat in the left seat. They said the PIC then said something about the starter, and before saying anything else, stepped out of the cockpit and went to the left propeller. They said they saw the PIC move the propeller, and the next thing they knew he had disappeared from view. After calling out to the PIC and subsequently exiting the airplane, they saw the PIC laying on the ground in a pool of blood. One of the witnesses said he then pulled the pilot to avoid the arc of the propeller, and both witnesses stated that the left propeller had moved and had struck the PIC in the head and he had incurred a serious injury.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,850 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 158 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 1,400 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 23, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,609 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2003; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Avco Lycoming (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from DAB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.