Boeing A75N1 accident near New Smyrna Bch., Florida, April 28, 1989
On April 28, 1989 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Boeing A75N1, registered N57946, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Smyrna Bch., Florida (NE Smyrna Beach Muni. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 ADEQUATELY PREFLIGHT THE AIRPLANE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE THE BRAKES TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND POOR INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1989 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna Bch., Florida · NE Smyrna Beach Muni.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N1 · all A75N1s on the register
- Registration
- N57946 · registry record · serial 75-2109
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE, THE AIRPLANE RETURNED TO LAND BECAUSE THE TAIL HOOK WAS NOT ATTACHED. AFTER A NORMAL APCH & THREE POINT LNDG WITH A 20 DEGREE LEFT CROSSWIND AT 10 KTS, THE AIRPLANE WEATHER VANED. THE PLT APPLIED FULL RT RUDDER, UP ELEVATOR, & LEFT AILERON CONTROL AS THE WING WAS RAISED BY THE WIND. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO TURN. THE UPPER & LOWER RT WINGS WERE DAMAGED BY CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE RUDDER STOPS WERE REMOVED WHICH ALLOWED THE RUDDER TO CONTACT THE ELEVATOR RENDERING IT INOPERABLE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,732 hours in all; 361 in this make and model; 321 in the last 90 days; 111 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,118 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 1989; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,620 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-39A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Doan Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from DAB, 10 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 N57946 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.