Beech 58 accident near Batavia, New York, January 24, 1991
On January 24, 1991 at about 9:38 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N73JP, was destroyed in an accident near Batavia, New York (Genesee County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ENSURE AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF FUEL WAS ON BOARD FOR THE PLANNED FLIGHT WHICH RESULTED IN A DOUBLE POWER LOSS DUE TO THE FUEL EXHAUSTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 1991 · about 9:38 am local time
- Place
- Batavia, New York · Genesee County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N73JP · registry record · serial TH1057
- Damage
- Destroyed
- 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 CONTACTED APPROACH CONTROL EN ROUTE TO HIS DESTINATION, INDICATING HE WAS LOW ON FUEL AND LOST POWER ON ONE ENGINE. RADAR AND RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WERE LOST AND THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND SEVERAL HOURS LATER WITH THE PILOT FATALLY INJURED. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE FUEL TANKS INTACT, THE FUEL CAPS IN PLACE, NO FUEL IN THE TANKS, AND NO EVIDENCE OF LEAKAGE. THE SPARKS PLUGS LOOK GREY IN APPEARANCE. THE PILOT FLEW THIS SAME TRIP SEVERAL NIGHTS A WEEK AND HAD FLOWN THE SAME AIRPLANE AND TRIP THE NIGHT BEFORE. THE LOAD MANIFEST FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE INDICATED 500 LBS (83.3 GALLONS) OF FUEL ON BOARD AT DEPARTURE. THE TRIP TOOK 1.6 HOURS ON THE HOBBS METER. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A REFUELING PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. AFTER THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE HOBBS METER INDICATED AN ADDITIONAL 1.6 HOURS.
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: 4,343 hours in all; 1,228 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 4,153 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Prior Aviation Service
The flight
- Departed from: UCA Utica NY at 8:54 am
- Destination: BUF Buffalo NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 5°F (-15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.