Beech BE-58 accident near Skaneateles, New York, February 7, 1991
On February 7, 1991 at about 3:27 pm local time, a Beech BE-58, registered N80JB, was destroyed in an accident near Skaneateles, New York (Skaneateles airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS/DISORIENTATION DUE TO THE INFLUENCES OF COCAINE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF AIRPLANE CONTROL IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT, FATIGUE AND ANXIETY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1991 · about 3:27 pm local time
- Place
- Skaneateles, New York · Skaneateles · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-58
- Registration
- N80JB · no longer on the register · serial TH-769
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED VFR INTO IMC (FOG AND LOW CLOUD CEILINGS PRIOR TO RECEIVING HIS IFR CLEARANCE. THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRBORNE APPROXIMATELY 6 MINUTES BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THE GROUND. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS HAD ATTENDED A FUNERAL THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ADDITIONALLY, BENZOYLECGONINE [COCAINE METABOLITES] LEVELS OF 0.101 UG/ML IN THE BLOOD AND 0.629 IN THE URINE WERE REVEALED IN THE PILOT'S TOXICOLOGICAL SAMPLES. A BENZOYLECGONINE LEVEL OF 0.906 UG/ML IN THE BLOOD WAS REVEALED IN THE TOXICOLOGY SAMPLE FOR THE PILOT'S WIFE. A HUMAN PERFORMANCE LEVEL STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE SAFETY BOARD REVEALED THAT IT IS 'POSSIBLE THAT THE COCAINE USAGE (BY THE PILOT) EXACERBATED FEELINGS OF EUPHORIA AND INCREASED THE LIKELIHOOD OF A PRIOR DECISION TO TAKEOFF WITHOUT AN IFR CLEARANCE AT A TIME WHEN HIS CAPABILITIES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY COMPROMISED.'
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 557 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 462 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N80JB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.