Beech 58P accident near Chicopee, Massachusetts, August 2, 1990
On August 2, 1990 at about 11:13 am local time, a Beech 58P, registered N138P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicopee, Massachusetts (Westover Afb airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
DOUBLE POWER LOSS DUE TO IMPROPER FUELING PROCEDURES. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: IMPROPER PRE-FLIGHT ACTIONS BY THE PILOT AND WRONG FUEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1990 · about 11:13 am local time
- Place
- Chicopee, Massachusetts · Westover Afb
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58P · all 58Ps on the register
- Registration
- N138P · registry record · serial TJ-481
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a pre-flight inspection, drained the fuel tank sumps and taxied to the ramp for fuel. The refueler pulled up in a 10,000-gallon truck marked Jet-A and put 50 gallons in each side while the pilot watched. The pilot said that he was not worried because he knew that a jet-fuel truck had been converted to avgas for an airshow that had just taken place, the nozzle fit into the wing and he had restrictors to prevent a jet-fuel nozzle from being placed in the tank, and he thought that the refueler had refueled the airplane before. The pilot stated that he assumed that this was the truck that had been converted to dispense avgas. The pilot taxied for takeoff and did not make a runup because he had already warmed up the engines and completed a runup prior to refueling. He lost power in both engines after getting airborne and landed on the remaining runway. The refueler thought that the Beech Baron was turbine powered. The FAA reported that the fuel nozzle was an improper nozzle installed for overwing refueling and that the 5,000-gallon jet-fuel truck that had been converted to avgas was properly marked and contained avgas. This narrative was modified on August 18, 2005.
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: 5,000 hours in all; 2,050 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 4,950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-WB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CEF at 7:13 am
- Destination: PTD Pottsdam NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 11,600 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:13 am from CEF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.