Beech B24R accident near Bethpage, New York, October 14, 1995
On October 14, 1995 at about 9:22 pm local time, a Beech B24R, registered N2544W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethpage, New York (Republic Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight and inflight planning/preparation, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1995 · about 9:22 pm local time
- Place
- Bethpage, New York · Republic Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B24R · all B24Rs on the register
- Registration
- N2544W · registry record · serial MC-245
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed Gardiner at about 1530 with the assumption that the flight time would be about 35 minutes. While intercepting the final approach at Farmingdale, 'the left tank ran out of gas.' The pilot switched to the right tank and continued the approach. During the approach, at about 1722, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing and the airplane impacted a tree. Examination of the wreckage revealed no fuel in the fuel tanks and no anomalies with the fuel system. Additionally, the pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and recommended that the accident could have been prevented with better flight planning.
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: 742 hours in all; 542 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 648 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,271 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1994; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5NY5 Gardiner NY at 7:30 pm
- Destination: FRG Farmingdale NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 6,827 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from FRG
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.
Other NTSB records under N2544W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC96LA008.