Beech 58 accident near Fernandina Bch, Florida, November 18, 1989
On November 18, 1989 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N6659D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fernandina Bch, Florida (Fernandina Beach Muni airport). It was a personal flight 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PERFORM THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE TO ASSURE THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: LOW OIL PRESSURE IN THE RIGHT ENG, FAILURE OF BOTH VOLTAGE REGULATORS, AND THE LOW LEVEL OF CHARGE IN THE BATTERY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1989 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fernandina Bch, Florida · Fernandina Beach Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N6659D · no longer on the register · serial TH 1005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE PLT NOTED THAT OIL PRESSURE IN THE RGT ENG HAD DROPPED TO THE RED LINE, SO HE SHUT DOWN & FEATHERED THE ENG. HE STATED THAT AFTER ENTERING TRAFFIC TO LND, HE 'LOWERED' THE GEAR, THEN NOTED THAT THE RADAR & RADIOS BECAME INOP (AS ELECTRICAL POWER WAS LOST). THOUGH HE HEARD & FELT THE GEAR EXTEND, HE DID NOT SEE ILLUMINATION OF THE DOWNLOCK LIGHTS. THE PLT MADE A 360 DEG TURN TO GET SPACING BEHIND ANOTHER ACFT, THEN CONTD THE APCH TO LAND. DURING THE LANDING, THE GEAR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED. AN EXAM OF THE RGT ENG REVEALED THAT THE LOW OIL PRESSURE WAS DUE TO A PIECE OF CARBON UNDER THE OIL PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE SEAT. BOTH ALTERNATORS TESTED SATISFACTORILY; HOWEVER, BOTH VOLTAGE REGULATORS HAD FAILED INTERNALLY & BOTH ALTERNATOR CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE POPPED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,617 hours in all; 362 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,337 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 14, 1989; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2J4 Metter GA at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 5,350 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from CRG, 17 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.