Event CEN26FA005

Factual narrative

On October 5, 2025, at 1610 eastern daylight time, a Beech 58P airplane, N121GJ, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Williston, Florida. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to people familiar with the flight, the pilot intended to fly the two passengers back to Florida after their hunting trip in Kentucky. The airplane departed Lebanon Springfield Airport (6I2), Springfield, Kentucky, about 1318 and climbed to about 17,000 ft mean sea level. The pilot was receiving radar services from air traffic control (ATC) and was operating under visual flight rules. About 50 miles northwest of the intended destination, Williston Regional Airport (X60), Williston, Florida, the airplane began to descend. About 10 miles northwest of X60 the airplane was level about 1,300 ft msl and 180 kts ground speed, when ATC terminated radar services and transferred communications to the X60 common traffic advisory frequency. About 4 miles northwest of X60, the airplane turned right, and the ground speed increased from 158 kts to 168 kts. In the final 18 seconds of the flight the airplane made a steep descent about 4,000 ft per minute. A pilot witness who was flying about one mile to the west, observed the accident airplane in a steep descent with a 90° bank angle before it impacted the ground and exploded. The airplane impacted a peanut field on a 200° heading, and the debris field extended about 765 ft. The main wreckage came to rest 1.76 nm northwest of the approach end of runway 5 at X60. The airplane was highly fragmented and exhibited thermal damage in many areas. The initial impact area contained pieces of the right wing tip. The debris field contained all major components of the airplane. The fuselage was mostly consumed by the post-impact fire and the empennage remained relatively intact with minimal fire damage. The landing gear and flaps were both found retracted. The left and right engines were separated from the airplane and sustained impact damage. The propeller blades from each engine were all separated from their respective propeller hubs and found in the debris field. The airplane was equipped with multiple avionics devices with recording capability, which were sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory for data extraction. The airplane was retained for further examination. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12