Beech 65 accident near Pensacola, Florida, May 23, 1994
On May 23, 1994 at about 9:44 pm local time, a Beech 65, registered N6166Y, suffered minor damage in an accident near Pensacola, Florida (Nas Sherman Field). It was a ferry 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
IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF NUTS ON THE NOSEWHEEL (SPLIT RIM) THROUGH-BOLTS BY UNKNOWN PERSONNEL, WHICH RESULTED IN A SUBSEQUENT FAILURE (SEPARATION OF THE WHEEL HALVES).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1994 · about 9:44 pm local time
- Place
- Pensacola, Florida · Nas Sherman Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65 · all 65s on the register
- Registration
- N6166Y · registry record · serial LD388
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PILOT WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AFTER STARTING TO TAXI, THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSEWHEEL ASSEMBLY CAME APART (EXPLODED) AND ONE SPLIT RIM STRUCK A GROUND OBSERVER, SEVERING HIS LEG. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE NUTS ON THE THROUGH-BOLTS FOR THE SPLIT RIM WERE IMPROPER AND THAT THE TIRES MAY HAVE BEEN OVER-INFLATED. THE AIRPLANE RECORDS WERE NOT COMPLETE. THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT ASCERTAIN WHO HAD INSTALLED THE WRONG NUTS OR WHEN THE INSTALLION HAD BEEN PERFORMED.
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: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 29,443 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 22,800 as pilot in command; 2,580 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,417 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-435 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Perkins Smith INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:40 pm from NPA, 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.