Beech 65 accident near Orlando, Florida, December 19, 1992
On December 19, 1992 at about 12:39 pm local time, a Beech 65, registered N555GC, was destroyed in an accident near Orlando, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO FEATHER THE PROPELLER TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE FOLLOWING A LOSS OF POWER OF THE LEFT ENGINE. THE POWER LOSS WAS DUE TO AN IMPROPERLY MAINTAINED FUEL SYSTEM. IN ADDITION, THE RIGHT ENGINE LOST POWER FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON(S).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1992 · about 12:39 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65 · all 65s on the register
- Registration
- N555GC · registry record · serial LC-164
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT REPORTED LEVEL AT 6,000 FT; NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE RECEIVED. RADAR DATA SHOWS THAT AFTER 5 MIN AT CRUISE FLT GROUNDSPEED BEGAN TO SLOW, AND AS SPEED REACHED 85 KTS (VMC IS 83 KTS) ACFT MADE A RAPID TURN TO THE LEFT AND THE SPEED DROPPED TO 74 KTS. RADAR CONTACT WAS THEN LOST. WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING AND SEEING ACFT WITH AN ENG SPUTTERING AND QUITTING, AT WHICH TIME NO ENG NOISE WAS AUDIBLE. ENG WOULD THEN RESTART, AND AT ONE POINT ACFT WAS OBSERVED INITIATING A CLIMB AFTER ENG START. ENG RESTARTED AND OBTAINED NEAR FULL POWER, AND A SHORT TIME LATER SOUND OF IMPACT WAS HEARD. THE LEFT ENG FUEL SERVO WAS FOUND CONTAMINATED WITH CORROSION AND DIRT, AND WOULD NOT ALLOW FUEL FLOW TO THE ENG. THE FUEL STRAINER FOR THIS ENG WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS ALLOWING UNFILTERED FUEL TO ENTER THE ENG. THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS NOT FEATHERED AND HAD NO SIGNS OF ROTATION UNDER POWER. RIGHT ENG FUEL SERVO ALSO CONTAINED CORROSION & CONTAMINATION. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE A CURRENT ANNUAL INSPECTION.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,269 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 8,046 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 7,700 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-480-A1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Sanford FL at 12:22 pm
- Destination: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from MCO, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 N555GC 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.