Beech 58P accident near Cheswold, Delaware, October 22, 1983
On October 22, 1983 at about 9:12 pm local time, a Beech 58P, registered N2029Z, was destroyed in an accident near Cheswold, Delaware (Delaware airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- October 22, 1983 · about 9:12 pm local time
- Place
- Cheswold, Delaware · Delaware · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58P · all 58Ps on the register
- Registration
- N2029Z · no longer on the register · serial TJ-162
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE WESTERN 1/3 OF RWY 9 CONSISTED OF ROUGH CHAT ROCK & PACKED SOIL. THE REMAINING RWY SURFACE CONSISTED OF ASPHALT. THE PLT ELECTED TO MAKE A NO-FLAP TAKEOFF, USING ALL OF THE RWY. HE STATED THAT DUE TO THE ROUGH RWY SURFACE, UP ELEVATOR CONTROL PRESSURE WAS USED TO RELIEVE LOADS ON THE NOSE GEAR & TO RAISE THE PROPS SLIGHTLY OFF THE GRAVEL SURFACE. HE INTENDED TO PROGRESSIVELY RELIEVE THE UP ELEVATOR CONTROL & TAKEOFF AT 86 KTS. HOWEVER, SHORTLY AFTER THE ACFT STARTED ITS TAKEOFF ROLL, IT REPORTEDLY ENTERED A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE & BECAME AIRBORNE PREMATURELY. THE ACFT THEN YAWED TO THE LEFT & SUBSEQUENTLY COLLIDED WITH TREES WHICH WERE LOCATED NEAR THE NORTH EDGE OF THE RWY. THE PLT, WHO WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, STATED THAT HIS SHOULDER HARNESS DID NOT FUNCTION.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,290 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 1983; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,100 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MTN Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,484 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.