Beech C-24R accident near Farmingdale, New York, January 2, 1999
On January 2, 1999 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Beech C-24R, registered N1857G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Farmingdale, New York (Farmingdale airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight examination of the airplane, which resulted in a power loss due to fuel contamination.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 1999 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Farmingdale, New York · Farmingdale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-24R · all C-24Rs on the register
- Registration
- N1857G · no longer on the register · serial MC-767
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departure, on a right downwind leg, the passenger noticed that the engine 'began to stall.' The engine lost all power and the pilot was unable to restart it. The pilot established a glide for Runway 32, but the aircraft impacted the ground in a cemetery, approximately 1,800 feet short of Runway 32. According to the pilot's written statement, '[the] engine quit due to ice and water in [the] fuel.' During the preflight, the passenger did not observe the pilot drain fuel from either of the fuel tanks or the main airplane sump drain. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector found that the main fuel bowl of the fuel strainer was contaminated with water, dirt, rust, paint, and sand.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 165 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,298 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 2, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRG at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 6,827 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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 N1857G 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.