Beech 58 accident near Arkville, New York, September 21, 1983
On September 21, 1983 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N6657R, was destroyed in an accident near Arkville, New York. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- September 21, 1983 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Arkville, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N6657R · no longer on the register · serial TH1063
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO TAKING OFF, THE PLT ADVISED COMPANY PERSONNEL THAT HE PLANNED TO FLY VFR-ON-TOP AT 8500 FT MSL. HE PLANNED TO DEPART AT 1400 EDT, BUT DID NOT SPECIFY HIS ROUTE OF FLT. WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT ARRIVE, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED, IT WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED NEAR THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 3760 FT. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SIDE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN LEVEL FLT. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OF FAILURE WAS FOUND. A FOREST RANGER IN THE VICINITY AT APRX THE SAME ALTITUDE SAID THE VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 100 FT IN FOG & RAIN WAS FALLING. OTHER PERSONS IN THE AREA SAID THE MOUNTAINS WERE OBSCURED, THE SKY WAS OVERCAST, HEAVY RAIN WAS FALLING & THE WIND WAS STRONG.
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: 11,900 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,636 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 19, 1983; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Catskill Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ACY Atlantic City NJ at 6:00 pm
- Destination: N66 Oneonta NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from MSV, 23 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.