Beech 58 accident near Tampa, Florida, April 20, 1998
On April 20, 1998 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N338CB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Vandenberg airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain runway alignment during touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1998 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Vandenberg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N338CB · no longer on the register · serial TH1517
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that after touchdown, about 200 yards into the landing roll, the airplane sharply veered to the left. He applied right rudder and left engine power but the airplane rolled off the runway onto grass, then came to rest with the right main landing gear separated and the nose and left main landing gears collapsed. Postaccident examination of the brakes, tires, and nose landing gear centering mechanism revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Additionally, marks on the runway revealed that the airplane touched down with the longitudinal axis of the airplane not aligned with the runway.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,820 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1998; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IJX Jacksonville IL at 1:15 pm
- Destination: X16
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 3,260 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from TPA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.