Beech 58 accident near St. Thomas, February 8, 1991
On February 8, 1991 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N7278R, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Thomas (Cyril E. King airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
EXCESSIVE DESCENT RATE BY THE PILOT, IMPROPER RECOVERY FROM THE BOUNCED LANDING, AND FAILURE TO RECOVER FROM THE PORPOISE CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1991 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- St. Thomas · Cyril E. King
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N7278R · no longer on the register · serial TH-582
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED ON A FLAT APCH. BOUNCE AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THEN LAND ON THE NOSE LANDING GEAR. THE ACFT THEN PORPOISED A MINIMUM OF 4 TIMES BEFORE REMAINING ON THE GROUND.
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: 453 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 277 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C7 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STX St. Croix at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 5,348 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from STT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N7278R 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.