Beech 99 accident near Groton, Connecticut, February 1, 1982
On February 1, 1982 at about 5:45 am local time, a Beech 99, registered N451C, was destroyed in an accident near Groton, Connecticut (Groton-New London airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 5 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- February 1, 1982 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Groton, Connecticut · Groton-New London
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 99 · all 99s on the register
- Registration
- N451C · no longer on the register · serial U66
- 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
AFTER CROSSING THE MONDI INTERSECTION INBOUND FOR AN ILS RWY 5 APCH, THE CAPTAIN FELT THAT A PROPER DESCENT WAS NOT POSSIBLE DUE TO A STRONG TAILWIND & THEIR PRESENT ALTITUDE. THEY TURNED & PROCEEDED OUTBOUND TO LOOSE ALTITUDE. THE CREWTHEN ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES AGAIN ON THE INBOUND COURSE AT AN AIRSPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 120K. THE COPILOT REPORTED THAT AROUND 300 FT "THE BOTTOM DROPPED OUT." THE ACFT CRASHED ONTO THE SURFACE OF A FROZEN COVE & SLID ONTO MARSHY TERRAIN & STOPPED ABOUT 500 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. A NTSB WEATHER SUMMARY SHOWS THAT THE FOLLOWING WIND REGIMES EXISTED WHEN THE ACFT MADE ITS APPROACH: 5000 TO 24000 FT ASL, WIND 220/50; 2400 TO 450 FT ASL, WIND 180/30; 450 FT ASL TO SURFACE, WIND 100/5. USING THE ABOVE WIND REGIMES & ASSUMING AN APPROACH AIRSPEED OF 123K, THE FOLLOWING GROUND SPEEDS WERE COMPUTED: 5000 TO 2400 FT ASL, 155K; 2400 TO 450 FT ASL, 147K; 450 FT ASL TO SURFACE, 118K.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,108 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 272 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 6,812 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,188 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,400 lb
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pilgrim Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: New Haven CT
- Destination: FOK Westhampton NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 4 | 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.