Beech 60 accident near New Castle, Delaware, December 4, 2007
On December 4, 2007 at about 12:22 pm local time, a Beech 60, registered N105PP, was destroyed in an accident near New Castle, Delaware (New Castle Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a split flap takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident were the failure of the right flap drive mechanism and the pilot's failure to verify that both flaps were retracted prior to takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 2007 · about 12:22 pm local time
- Place
- New Castle, Delaware · New Castle Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 60 · all 60s on the register
- Registration
- N105PP · registry record · serial P-105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a witness, prior to arriving in the run-up area the pilot lowered the airplane's flaps. After the right flap fully extended, the flap key on the drive shaft inside the 90-degree drive assembly adapter fractured, in overload, in the direction of flap extension. Before takeoff, the pilot raised the flaps; however, with the fractured key, the right flap would have remained fully extended. The pilot could have identified this condition prior to takeoff, either visually or by means of the flap indicator, which received its input from the right flap actuator. The pilot subsequently took off, and the airplane turned left, but it is unknown at what point the pilot would have noted a control problem. The pilot climbed the airplane to 250 to 300 feet and allowed the airspeed to bleed off to where the airplane stalled and subsequently spun into the ground. Airplane manufacturer calculations revealed that the pilot should have been able to maintain control of the airplane at airspeeds over 70 knots. According to the pilot's operating handbook, the best two-engine angle of climb airspeed was 99 knots and the best two-engine rate of climb airspeed was 120 knots.
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: 1,080 hours in all; 18 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 16, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2007; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,775 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Lycoming TIO-541 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming TIO-541 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ILG New Castle DE
- Destination: ABE Allentown PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 7,181 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 21 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:51 pm from ILG
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.