Beech TC-45J accident near Kansas City, Kansas, December 5, 1983
On December 5, 1983 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Beech TC-45J, registered N704M, was destroyed in an accident near Kansas City, Kansas (Fairfax Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 1983 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Kansas · Fairfax Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech TC-45J · all TC-45Js on the register
- Registration
- N704M · no longer on the register · serial 39282
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS A BEECH TC-45J THAT HAD BEEN MODIFIED INTO A HAMILTON TURBOLINER UNDER STC SA-1821-WE. DURING ARRIVAL, THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED MODERATE ICING AT 4000 FT. HE MADE A LOCALIZER-ONLY APCH TO RWY 35. AN ATC SPECIALIST STATED THAT THEY SAW THE ACFT BREAK OUT OF THE CLOUDS OVER THE APCH END OF THE RWY. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE PLT TRANSMITTED THAT HE WAS GOING TO ENTER A LEFT BASE TURN FOR RWY 35 & THAT HE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT. HE STARTED A TURN, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ACFT ENTER A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A RAILROAD YARD IN A RELATIVELY LEVEL ATTITUDE WITH THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED & THE WING FLAPS RETRACTED. HOWEVER, DURING IMPACT, IT WAS STILL DESCENDING AT A STEEP ANGLE (ESTIMATED APRX 30 DEG). IT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT & GROUND FIRE. NO PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE MINIMUM CEILING & VISIBILITY FOR A STRAIGHT-IN APCH WERE 500 FT & 1 MI, AND FOR A CIRCLING APCH, THE MINIMUMS WERE 700 FT & 1 MI.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 250 in the last 90 days; 3,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,776 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 14, 1983; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,625 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: UNI Quincy IL at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 4
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 7,301 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 12 knots
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded at 400 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:49 pm from MCI, 12 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.