Beech 58 accident near Flushing, New York, December 25, 1987
On December 25, 1987 at about 11:50 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N58MH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Flushing, New York (Laguardia airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- December 25, 1987 · about 11:50 am local time
- Place
- Flushing, New York · Laguardia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N58MH · registry record · serial TH-609
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLTS WERE TAXIING AT DUSK TO TAKEOFF, THE ACFT WAS STRUCK BY A FOOD SVC VAN AT A VEHICLE SVC ROAD. THE ACDNT OCCURRED AS RAIN WAS FALLING & THE RAMP AREA WAS WET WITH STANDING WATER. THE VAN DRIVER SAID HE HAD JUST MANEUVERED HIS VEHICLE TO THE LEFT TO GET AROUND A LOCKHEED L-1011 & WAS MOVING BACK TO THE RIGHT TO GET ON THE SVC ROAD WHEN HE SAW THE BEECH 58. HE TRIED TO AVOID THE ACFT, BUT THE VAN HIT THE LEFT WING & TAIL. THE PLT SAID HE WAS TAXIING WITH THE ROTATING BCN, NAV & TAXI LGTS ON. HE SAID HE WAS CROSSING THE SVC ROAD WHEN HE SAW THE VAN & STOPPED, BUT THE VAN SKIDDED INTO THE ACFT. THE VAN DRIVER SAID HE DID NOT SEE ANY ACFT LGTS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,250 hours in all; 328 in this make and model; 191 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 1,820 as pilot in command; 1,180 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,927 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ISP Islip NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.