Beech C-45G accident near Charlotte Amali, December 11, 1998
On December 11, 1998 at about 1:57 am local time, a Beech C-45G, registered N555NJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Charlotte Amali (Cyril E King airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate flare by the pilot-in-command resulting in a hard landing on the nose landing gear causing it to collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1998 · about 1:57 am local time
- Place
- Charlotte Amali · Cyril E King
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-45G · all C-45Gs on the register
- Registration
- N555NJ · registry record · serial AF236
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain seated in the right seat, stated that while on short final approach, the flight encountered gusty winds. The flight continued and when the flight was 8 feet above the runway, the airplane descended and landed flat on all three landing gears. The airplane then bounced and he applied partial power and full aft on the control column but the airplane touched down and the nose immediately contacted the runway followed by the propellers. The first officer stated that during the final approach to the runway, he noted the captain manipulating the flight controls in response to the turbulence. He stated 'we seemed to fly into the runway' landing hard first on the nose landing gear followed by the main landing gears. The airplane then bounced and landed hard again on the nose landing gear which 'gave way.' The airplane then veered off the runway and came to rest upright. Review of weather observations taken from the airport 4 minutes before the accident and 13 minutes after the accident revealed no report of wind gusts or rain at those times. The rain began 7 minutes after the reported time of the accident. According to the Director of Flight Operations, company policy prohibits exchange of seats by the captain and first officer, unless authorized by him; he did not authorize the seat exchange on the accident flight.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,245 hours in all; 157 in this make and model; 232 in the last 90 days; 82 in the last 30 days; 8,230 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,816 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 11, 1998; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-1-101B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: National Jets, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 7:00 pm
- Destination: TIST
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from TIS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA99LA062.