Piston Beechcraft Accidents June 26 – July 2, 2025
Official information from FAA and NTSB sources (unless otherwise noted). Editorial comments (contained in parentheses), year-to-date summary and closing comments are those of the author. All information is preliminary and subject to change. Comments are meant solely to enhance flying safety. Please use these reports to help you more accurately evaluate the potential risks when you make your own decisions about how and when to fly.
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New reports this week
6/29 1410Z (1010 local Sunday morning): A Be55 “struck trees on departure and crashed into a pond” at Eustis, Florida. The two aboard have “unknown” injuries, the Baron “substantial” damage. N9420Y (TC-582) was a 1964 B55.
(From the Aviation Safety Network, “Engine failure during takeoff”; and from ASN and photos on a local news site, “Aircraft destroyed.” That news source reports:
Police reported…the aircraft, commanded by [a] 61-year-old [pilot], began experiencing a left engine failure. This malfunction, as narrated by authorities, led the plane to abruptly bank left, interact with the surrounding trees, and ultimately spin into a harsh descent into the nearby water….
The pilot and a 17-year-old passenger were treated for minor injuries, according to the news report.)
New NTSB reports this week
6/10 serious injury A36 partial power loss at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. From the NTSB preliminary report:
On June 10, 2025, about 1220 central daylight time, a Beech A36, N15PM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The private pilot and a passenger were not injured. A second passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to the pilot, the flight departed from Douglas Municipal Airport (DQH), Douglas, Florida and was enroute to Murfreesboro Municipal Airport (MBT), Murfreesboro, Tennessee when when a partial loss of engine power occurred. Based on the “stumble” of the engine, he switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank and pushed the mixture control in, which initially “cleared up” the problem.
Shortly after, the engine lost power again and the pilot declared an emergency. He quickly assessed that he would not be able to make it to MBT and as a result, he attempted to make a forced landing in a field. He then realized that the field was out of reach and attempted to turn towards a cemetery where he lowered the landing gear, pitched the nose up, and attempted to clear trees. The airplane contacted the trees prior to the cemetery and came to rest nose down, suspended in vegetation.
A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left fuel tank contained a small amount of fuel with no evidence of that tank being breached by impact. The right fuel tank was breached and contained about 10 gallons of fuel. The fuel selector was observed to be on the right fuel tank position. The ignition key was observed on “both”; the mixture control, propeller control, and throttle were observed full forward.
I’m hesitant to say much until more investigative information is available, but this may have turned out differently if the pilot had kept the landing gear up and consequently decreased his rate of descent by as much as 500 feet per minute at glide speed. Having studied Beech accidents for 35 years, I’ve come to the conclusion that “gear up” should be the default condition for an off-airport landing. It preserves the glide picture you develop as you maneuver for your chosen touchdown zone, and it makes the airplane less likely to go out of control or nose over hard if the landing gear fails or breaks off in an off-airport landing.
(Change “Crash/unknown” to “Partial power loss/off-airport landing” and add “Serious” injuries and “Substantial” damage)
6/14 double-fatality Baron 58 Controlled Flight into Terrain in thunderstorms at Tabor City, North Carolina. Excerpted from the unusually detailed NTSB preliminary report:
The controller instructed the pilot to descend and maintain 4,000 ft msl, which was acknowledged and complied with. The pilot requested a different heading because it looked like they would be heading “straight into” the weather and the controller subsequently issued a heading of 060°. Shortly after, the controller handed the pilot over to the eastern sector radar controller, who approved deviations left and right of course as needed.
The pilot arrived in the vicinity of the airport and was preparing for an instrument approach. The controller approved additional deviations to the pilot as needed to avoid heavy precipitation and gave the pilot subsequent headings that would put the airplane on a heading to intercept the final approach course for the ILS approach to runway 23. As the airplane approached a 1 1/2-mile final, while descending through 800 ft msl, the pilot abandoned the approach.
About 5 nm miles into the diversion, while at 3,000 ft msl, the pilot turned to a track of about 310° and began a descent; the airplane’s speed increased steadily from 160 knots to about 235 knots groundspeed in a steady straight-line descent. The controller attempted to contact the pilot; however, there was no response. Multiple transmissions were heard that included engine noise and inaudible conversation, but there was no direct pilot-to-controller communication from this point forward. No other communications were received, and radar contact was subsequently lost. The airplane’s descent rate went from -600 feet per minute (fpm) to -4,500 fpm until there was a brief arrest of the descent where it decreased to -300 fpm after which the descent rate increased again to -4,000 fpm until the ADS-B data ended. During the final descent, there were no observed maneuvers or significant heading changes. The tree impact signatures at the accident site indicated a descent angle of about 23° and were consistent with the airplane being wings level.
(Change “Crash/unknown” to “Controlled Flight into Terrain/Thunderstorms”)
2025 SUMMARY
Reported Beechcraft piston mishaps, 2025
Total reported: 61 reports
Environment
Operation in VMC: 35 reports
Operation in IMC: 4 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 23 reports
Operation at night: 5 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 3 reports
Fatal accidents: 6 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 13 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 11 reports
BONANZA/BARON Series: 52 reports
By Aircraft Type
Be36 Bonanza 20 reports
Be35 Bonanza 11 reports
Be55 Baron 8 reports
Be58 Baron 6 reports
Be33 Debonair/Bonanza 4 reports
Be95 Travel Air 3 reports
Environment
Operation in VMC: 26 reports
Operation in IMC: 4 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 22 reports
Operation at night: 4 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 3 reports
Fatal accidents: 6 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 10 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 11 reports
PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE
(all subject to update per official findings):
FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 9 reports
Engine failure 6 reports
Engine failure in flight/oil loss 2 reports (both Be36s)
Engine failure in flight 1 report (Be35)
Engine failure immediately after takeoff 1 report (Be36)
Fuel starvation 1 report (Be55)
Partial power loss/off airport landing 1 report (Be36)
Impact during/immediately after takeoff 2 reports
Loss of control/IFR departure 1 report (Be36)
Loss of control in flight/door open after takeoff 1 report (Be55)
Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT)
Controlled Flight into Terrain/Thunderstorms 1 report (Be58)
OTHER EVENTS 43 reports
Landing gear related mishaps 19 reports
Gear collapse during landing 10 reports (three Be35s; two Be36s; two Be55s; two Be58s; Be95)
Gear up landing 8 reports (three Be35s; Be33; three Be36s; Be58)
Nose wheel separation during landing 1 report (Be33)
Inadvertent gear retraction on the ground/touch and go 1 report (Be35)
Gear up landing/mechanical failure 1 report (Be95)
Engine failure 13 reports
Engine failure in flight 4 reports (Be33; two Be35s; Be36)
Engine failure during/immediately after takeoff 3 reports (two Be36s; Be55)
Engine failure shortly after takeoff/catastrophic failure 1 report (Be36)
Partial power loss immediately after takeoff
Dual partial power loss/off-airport landing 1 report (Be58)
Engine failure in flight/oil loss 1 report (Be36)
Propeller separation in flight 1 report (Be55)
Engine failure during landing 1 report (Be36)
Impact during landing 3 reports
Runway overrun 1 report (Be58)
Landed short 1 report (Be36)
Loss of directional control during landing 1 report (Be95)
Impact during takeoff
Aborted takeoff/runway overrun 1 report (Be55)
Loss of directional control during takeoff/contaminated runway 1 report (Be35)
Miscellaneous
Taxi into object 1 report (Be36)
Door open after takeoff/descent into terrain 1 report (Be36)
Bird strike 1 report (Be55)
Taxi into object/other aircraft 1 report (Be36)
BEECH AERO CLUB Series: 9 reports
By Aircraft Type
Be19 Sport 3 reports
Be76 Duchess 2 reports
Be24 Sierra 2 reports
Be23 Musketeer/Sundowner 1 report
Be77 Skipper 1 report
Environment
Operation in VMC: 7 reports
Operation in IMC: 0 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 2 reports
Operation at night: 0 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 0 reports
Fatal accidents: 0 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 3 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 0 reports
PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE
(all subject to update per official findings):
FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 0 reports
OTHER EVENTS 9 reports
Impact during landing 4 reports
Loss of directional control during landing 3 reports (two Be19s; Be77)
Hard landing 1 report (Be76)
Engine failure 3 reports
Engine failure during/immediately after takeoff 2 reports (Be19; Be24)
Engine failure in flight 1 report (Be24)
Landing gear related mishaps
Gear up landing 1 report (Be76)
Unknown cause
Off-airport landing/reasons unknown 1 report (Be23)
MISCELLANEOUS Models: 1 report
Be45 Mentor/T-34 1 reports
Environment
Operation in VMC: 1 report
Operation in IMC: 0 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 0 reports
Operation at night: 0 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 0 reports
Fatal accidents: 0 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 0 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 0 reports
PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE
(all subject to update per official findings):
FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 0 reports
OTHER EVENTS 1 report
Landing gear related mishaps
Gear up landing 1 report (Be45)
Recognize an N-number? Please accept my sincere personal condolences if you or anyone you know was involved in a mishap. I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms.
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