Beech 95-B55 accident near Chassahowitzka, Florida, March 24, 1991
On March 24, 1991 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N95BE, was destroyed in an accident near Chassahowitzka, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMANDS CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO IFR CONDITIONS RESULTING IN AN INFLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL AND AN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH THE GROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1991 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Chassahowitzka, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N95BE · registry record · serial TC-1868
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT RECEIVED WX BRIEFING FOR VFR FLT. DEPT POINT AND DEST WERE VFR AND EN ROUTE CONDITIONS WERE MARGINAL VFR. FLT DEPT AND NO FURTHER RADIO CONTACT WITH FLT WAS MADE. 1 HOUR 25 MIN LATER WITNESSES SAW ACFT FLYING IN AND OUT OF 200 FOOT OVERCAST. A SHORT TIME LATER OTHER WITNESSES HEARD ACFT FLYING ACROSS MARSH WITH ENGINES OPERATING NORMALLY. ENGINE NOISE CEASED ABRUPTLY AND THEY TURNED TO SEE CLOUD OF MUD AND WATER. ACFT HAD IMPACTED AT HIGH SPEED IN APPROX 60 DEGREE RIGHT BANK AND 20 TO 30 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. PIECES OF ALL ACFT COMPONENTS NECESSARY FOR FLT WERE LOCATED AT THE CRASH SITE. SOME OF THE ACFT STRUCTURE AND THE TWO ENGINES AND PROPELLERS WERE NOT RECOVERED FROM THE MUDDY CRASH SITE. THE PLT LAST LOGGED SIMULATED INSTRUMENT TIME 15 MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 407 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 306 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,501 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 12, 1991; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Ft. Lauderdale FL at 5:43 pm
- Destination: TLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.