Beech B60 accident near Orlando, Florida, July 26, 2007
On July 26, 2007 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Beech B60, registered N724RK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orlando, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper weather evaluation during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was the air traffic controller's failure to issue in-flight weather avoidance assistance and the convective turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2007 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech B60 · all B60s on the register
- Registration
- N724RK · registry record · serial P-583
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in visual conditions, on an instrument flight rules flight plan, at flight level 270 (FL270), and in contact with air traffic control (ATC). The pilot reported that he observed a 10-mile wide opening between a large thunderstorm cell, and a smaller cumulonimbus (CB) build-up that was developing just to the southwest of the large cell. As the airplane approached the gap between the two cells, the pilot noticed that the CB was developing faster than he had anticipated, with tops that had grown from about FL270, to about FL290. The airplane's onboard weather radar was depicting only light precipitation, while the large thunderstorm cell northwest of the airplane was depicting extreme precipitation. As the airplane entered the northeast side of the CB, it encountered light to moderate turbulence, which was followed by an extreme downdraft. The pilot initially lost control of the airplane, then recovered at an altitude of about 14,500 feet, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. A reconstruction of the "WARP NEXRAD" weather data displayed to the ATC controller during the time leading up to the airplane's loss of control, revealed that the airplane had entered an area of extreme (VIP 6) echoes. Review of ATC communications revealed that the pilot had been in contact with the ATC controller for about 5 minutes before the airplane's encounter with the adverse weather, and the controller did not provide any weather advisories to the pilot.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,580 hours in all; 275 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,980 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-35 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-35 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 9:30 pm
- Destination: RDG Reading PA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 22 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; a few clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:22 pm from ORL, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.