Beech D55 accident near Oxford, Maine, August 14, 1992
On August 14, 1992 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Beech D55, registered N14WW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oxford, Maine (Oxford County Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PREFLIGHT AND FUEL TANK SELECTION FOR TAKEOFF, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL STARVATION AND LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES DURING TAKEOFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1992 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Maine · Oxford County Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D55 · all D55s on the register
- Registration
- N14WW · registry record · serial TE-593
- 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 INITIATED A TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 33. AFTER LIFTOFF, THE LEFT ENGINE QUIT, FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN AN AREA WITH TREES. AN EXAM REVEALED THE FUEL TANK SELECTORS WERE IN THE AUXILIARY (AUX) POSITIONS. NO FUEL LEAKS WERE DETECTED IN THE AUX TANKS. THE LEFT AUX TANK HAD 4 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING, AND THE RIGHT AUX TANK HAD 5 GALLONS REMAINING. THOUGH DAMAGED, 1 GALLON OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT MAIN TANK; THE RIGHT MAIN TANK WAS EMPTY. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, 15 GALLONS OF FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE LEFT MAIN TANK BEFORE IT BEGAN TO LEAK; NO TEST OF THE RIGHT MAIN TANK WAS MADE SINCE ITS BLADDER WAS RUPTURED. THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK REQUIRED THAT FOR TAKEOFF, THE MAIN FUEL TANKS BE SELECTED AND THAT EACH MAIN TANK HAVE A MINIMUM OF 13 GALLONS OF FUEL. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, BOTH ENGINES WERE STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY, USING THE FUEL IN THE TANKS. THE PILOT HAD A TOTAL OF 30 HOURS IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF AIRPLANE.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 1,800 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 1992; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LWM Lawrence MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.