Beech 58 accident near Brookhaven, New York, August 16, 1991
On August 16, 1991 at about 7:21 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N104SB, was destroyed in an accident near Brookhaven, New York (Mac Arthur airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT PHYSIOLOGICAL INCAPACITATION WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL IN FLIGHT, AND AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO WATER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1991 · about 7:21 pm local time
- Place
- Brookhaven, New York · Mac Arthur · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N104SB · registry record · serial TH-1071
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A HEADING OF APPROX 270, THE PILOT WAS INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW ANOTHER AIRPLANE INTO THE AIRPORT. HE DID NOT TURN IN ON FINAL AND CONTINUED FOR ALMOST 3 MILES. WHEN THE ATCT TOLD HIM TO TURN TO 180 FOR RESEQUENCING, HE TURNED TO 330, TOWARD THE AIRPORT AND STARTED A DESCENT FROM 2000 FEET. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO 1600 FEET, AND THEN STARTED A CLIMB BACK TO 2000 FEET, WITH A SHALLOW LEFT TURN, CONTACTED APPROACH CONTROL AND CONTINUED THE TURN TO 150. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT SPEED STARTED TO DECREASE WHEN THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED. THERE WAS A CONTINUED DECREASE OF SPEED TO 44 KNOTS, AT WHICH POINT, THE AIRPLANE STARTED A DESCENT, FOLLOWED BY A LEFT SPIN, AND IMPACTED WATER. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED NO RAPID COURSE CHANGES PRIOR TO THE LOW POINT OF SPEED. THE AIR/GROUND TAPES SHOWED THE PILOT SOMETIMES TOOK ALMOST A MINUTE BETWEEN FREQUENCY CHANGES, AND HIS VOICE WAS INDECISIVE AND HESITANT. THE PILOT HAD BEEN TREATED FOR SEIZURES SINCE 1974. ANTI-SEIZURE MEDICATION WAS FOUND IN HIS TOXICOLOGICAL SAMPLES.
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: 7,800 hours in all; 7,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,394 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 4, 1990; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GON Groton CT at 7:00 pm
- Destination: ISP Islip NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from ISP, 6 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.