Rockwell 680-E accident near Titusville, Florida, August 5, 1990
On August 5, 1990 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Rockwell 680-E, registered N599BB, was destroyed in an accident near Titusville, Florida. It was a ferry 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 DECISION TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT WITH A KNOWN UNAIRWORTHY MECHANICAL CONDITION RESULTING IN A SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1990 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Titusville, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 680-E
- Registration
- N599BB · registry record · serial 680-372-57
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ABOUT 5-10 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT LEANED THE MIXTURE ON A ROUGH RUNNING ENG. ABOUT 30 MIN LATERFTER THE LEFT ENG BEGAN TO OVERSPEED. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO FEATHER THE PROP. THE PLT RETURNED TOWARD THE DEPARTURE POINT WITH MAX POWER ON THE RIGHT ENG. UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT, AN EMERG LANDING WAS MADE ON A HIGHWAY, DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST, AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES. LAST ANNUAL WAS IN 1978. LEFT PROP START LOCK PIN BLADE L3 CORRODED, IN EXT PSN. LEFT PROP PITCH CONTROL CABLE SEPARATED, FRAYED, CORRODED. GENERAL DETERIORATION OF PISTON RINGS AND #6 CONROD. RIGHT PROP GOVERNOR CONTROL CABLES CORRODED, FRAYED. RIGHT ENG #5 INTAKE PIPE CONNECTION AND HOSE MISSING. ALL COMPRESSION RINGS PISTONS #1 AND #5 SEVERELY WORN, TOP TWO COMPRESSION RINGS PISTON #2 SEIZED. NO RECORD THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN INSPECTED BY AN A&P MECHANIC OR FAA APPROVED AIRFRAME REPAIR STATION. PLT STATED FLIGHT MANUAL NOT AVAILABLE OR USED DURING GROUND OR FLIGHT OPERATIONS.
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: 3,000 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 1,800 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1978; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:43 pm from TIX, 1 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.
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.