Beech 95-A55 accident near Lake Placid, New York, March 1, 1989
On March 1, 1989 at about 5:56 pm local time, a Beech 95-A55, registered N1729Q, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Placid, New York (Lake Placid airport). It was a business 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 PILOT'S DEPARTURE INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND HIS CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 1, 1989 · about 5:56 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Placid, New York · Lake Placid · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-A55 · all 95-A55s on the register
- Registration
- N1729Q · no longer on the register · serial TC 304
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT DEPARTED SARANAC LAKE IN INTERMITTENT SNOW SQUALLS AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER THE PILOT CONTACTED LAKE PLACID UNICOM AND SAID HE WOULD BE LANDING IN ABOUT 5 MINUTES. 2 MINUTES LATER THE UNICOM OPERATOR HEARD THE AIRCRAFT FLY OVERHEAD AT A LOW ALTITUDE, AND THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE FLYING DOWNWIND FOR RWY 32. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND AT THE BASE OF A HILL 3/4 MI SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT, JUST OFF THE APPROACH END OF RWY 32. THE AIRPORT WAS OBSCURED IN SNOW WITH VISIBILITY AROUND 1/3 TO 1/2 MI, BUT THE NORTH END OF THE FIELD WAS CLEAR.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,840 hours in all; 356 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,679 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,383 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1988; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,880 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Cont IO-470 L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLK Saranac Lake NY at 5:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from SLK, 10 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.