Mastery Flight Training, Inc.  Beech Weekly Accident Update archives

January 2005 Reports

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 on preliminary topics 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.  Please accept my sincere personal condolences if anyone you know was in a mishap. I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms.  Fly safe, and have fun!

Copyright 2005 Mastery Flight Training, Inc.  All Rights Reserved

NEW ITEMS THIS WEEK

1/7 1655Z (1055 local):  A Be55’s left main and nose gear collapsed on landing at Clinton, Oklahoma.  The two aboard were not hurt; damage is “minor.”  Weather: “clear and 10” with a five-knot wind.  N55NE is a 1965 T-42A registered since 1989 to the U.S. Air Force at Offutt AFB, Nebraska.

(“Gear collapse on landing”)

1/7 2334Z (1734 local):  A Be55 “blew (a) tire on (its) takeoff roll and hit the runway lights,” at Orlando, Florida.  The solo pilot was unhurt and damage was “minor.”  Weather was “not reported.”  N12TG is a 1964 B55 recently (August 2004) registered to an individual in Glen Cove, New York.

(“Runway excursion—blown tire on takeoff”; “Recent registration”)

1/8 2000Z (1300 local):  A Be35 “landed with gear retracted” during a local flight at Greeley, Colorado.  The solo pilot reports no injury; damage is “unknown” and weather was “clear and 10” with calm winds.  N78JG is a 1952 C35 recently (December 2004) registered to an individual in Wellington, Colorado.

(“Gear up landing”; “Recent registration”)

1/9 0300 (2200 local):  The passenger of a Be35 suffered “serious” injuries, and the pilot succumbed to a fatal heart attack, after a Be35 “crashed under unknown circumstances” at Cox Skyranch, south of Knoxville, Tennessee.  Weather for the night flight was “clear and 10” with calm winds.  The airplane has “substantial” damage.  N501B is a 1948 A35 recently (May 2004) registered to an individual in Knoxville, Tennessee.

(“Impact with obstacle during normal landing” [from media reports]; “Fatal”; “Substantial damage”; “Night”; “Recent registration”—local media reports the airplane impacted a tree while on approach to the private airstrip following a local, night pleasure flight.  The airplane came to rest in a tree approximately 40 feet above ground level and required a 5 ½-hour rescue effort to get the occupants out.  The pilot later died of a fatal heart attack, within the time parameters that the FAA/NTSB will rule this a fatal mishap.  It’s not known whether the pilot’s medical condition may have played a part in the crash.) 

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS:  All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings. 

**There are no newly posted reports this week**

NEW ITEMS THIS WEEK

1/6 2353Z (1753 local):  A Be24’s nose wheel collapsed on landing at Tyler, Texas.  The pilot and two passengers escaped injury and damage was “minor.”  Weather: sky clear, visibility nine miles, with a five-knot surface wind.  N23PD is a 1976 B24R registered since 2000 to an individual in Southlake, Texas.

(“Gear collapse on landing”)

1/12 1140Z (0540 local):  “Both main gears collapsed” on a Be55 during landing at Van Horn, Texas.  The night flight had departed Plainview, Texas, for an unidentified destination in Mexico.  The solo pilot was unhurt and damage is “minor.”  Weather at Van Horn was “VMC.”  N760K is a 1966 C55 registered since 1996 to an individual in Amistad, New Mexico.

(“Gear collapse on landing”; “Night”) 

1/12 2259Z (1659 local):  A Be35, landing at a private airstrip in IFR conditions of 100 broken, 1400 overcast and 10 miles visibility, “slid into a tree and burst into flames” at Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  The solo pilot died and the airplane was “destroyed.”  N10EL was a 1959 K35 registered to an individual in Eureka Springs (no date of registry is listed).

(“Loss of directional control on landing”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”; “IMC”—the whole south central region of the U.S. was cloaked in thick, freezing fog that day, a fog that coated many areas with a slick layer of ice.  Surface ice, a wet runway surface, or the IFR conditions may singly or in combination contributed to this mishap).

1/13 0230Z (2130 local):  A night landing of a Be55 ended in a gear up landing at Crestview, Florida.  The person or persons aboard report no injury, damage is “minor” and weather was “not reported.”  N7700R is a D55 registered since 2003 to a company in Superior, Wisconsin.

(“Gear up landing”; “Night”)

1/14 1600Z (1100 local):  The lone pilot of a Be55 died and his Baron was “destroyed,” when the departing Baron crashed ½ mile west of Patterson Airport, Patterson, Louisiana.  Weather was “clear and 10” with a nine-knot wind.  N7912R was a 1969 B55 recently (October 2004) registered to an individual in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

(“Takeoff/Unknown”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”; “Recent registration”)

1/15 2100Z (1400 local):  A Be35 was on a “training” local to Hayden, Colorado, when it “landed gear up in a snow covered field due to engine failure” five miles northwest of Hayden.  Pilot and instructor report no injuries and damage is as yet “unknown.”  Weather in the area was “not reported.”  N3705Q is/was a 1967 V35 registered since 1995 to a Wilmington, Delaware corporation.

(“Engine failure in flight”; “Dual instruction”)

1/17 1958Z (1458 local):  The pilot of a Be23 “reported a mayday and crashed under unknown circumstances, near Fayetteville, North Carolina.”  The solo pilot, who was flying a “local” flight out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was not hurt despite “substantial” aircraft damage.  Weather in the area was ”clear and 10” with surface winds  at 12 gusting to 17 knots.  N9JY is a 1979 C23 registered since 2003 to an individual in Roseboro, North Carolina.

(“Crash/Unknown”; “Substantial damage”)

1/17 2100Z (1400 local):  Landing at Questa, New Mexico, a Be35’s landing gear collapsed and the Bonanza “skidded on the runway.”  Two aboard the “pleasure” flight were not hurt and damage was “minor.”  Weather: “clear and 10” with an 11-knot surface wind.  N35XB is a 1959 K35 registered since 2003 to an individual in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

(“Gear collapse on landing”)

1/17 2206Z (1706 local):  During a local “training” flight at Sanford, Florida, a Be76 was cleared for a touch-and-go and suffered a gear collapse on the runway.  Pilot and instructor were not hurt; damage is “unknown.”  Weather at Sanford was “few clouds” at 3000 feet, visibility 10 miles, with winds at 11 gusting to 18 knots.  N3626D appears on the FAA registry as a reserved N-number.

(“Gear collapse during touch-and-go”; “Dual instruction”—this incident has three possible contributors [touch and go, dual flight instruction, and strong or gusty surface winds] that each alone highly correlate with landing gear-related mishaps.  Be especially careful when the warning signs [common contributing factors] apply to your flight).

1/18 1445Z (0845 local):  The pilot of a Be36 “reported an engine failure” and “made forced landing in a field” four miles west of Justin, Texas.  The solo pilot of the IFR flight landed without injury or aircraft damage. Weather in the area was “few clouds” at 15,000, 25,000 scattered, visibility 10 miles with a five-knot surface wind.  N263EA is a 2002 A36 recently (March 2004) registered to a corporation based in Omaha, Nebraska.

(“Engine failure in flight”; “Recent registration”—and what sounds like a skilled job at executing a forced landing)

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS:  All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings. 

**There are no newly posted 2005 reports this week.**

**An NTSB preliminary report on the 12/22 Be58TC runway overrun at Everett, Washington, is now posted.  Information from this report will be added to a 2004 Addendum to the Weekly Accident Update, which will be posted after the last of the 2004 preliminary reports are available.***

UPDATE on the 1/17/05 Be35 gear collapse on landing at Questa, New Mexico.  Reprinted by permission of the submitter:

“I was the pilot of the Be35 (K35) that "crashed" at Questa, NM 1/17/05. I don't think you'll get anything from NTSB on this one, because the Albuquerque FSDO is treating this as an incident.

“Here's what happened. My wife and I (both pilots) were on a pleasure flight to test out some recent repairs and to keep current. At about 12:30 I was performing a touch and go. I had landed with 10 degrees of flaps. I increased power to full for the takeoff and, intending to raise the flaps, apparently hit the gear up switch instead. The plane then dropped to the runway and skidded off the west side of runway 35. There were no injuries, other than to my pride.

“Contributing factors were another plane in the pattern (a King Air on a 5-mile final) and possibly (carbon monoxide). We had recently installed a CO Experts electronic CO detector which had alarmed at 35 ppm (the OSHA eight-hour exposure limit) on a previous trip. The repairs mentioned above were an attempt to address this issue. CO level before the landing was 17 ppm.

“We're hopeful our bird can be repaired, but if the engine needs to be replaced repairs might exceed the 70% of insured value limit (our insurance carrier) uses to declare a total loss.”

(Touch and goes correlate highly with gear collapse incidents.  Be extremely careful if you decide to perform this higher-risk maneuver.  Landing gear-related mishaps can [and do] happen to just about anyone. That, I hope, is the great lesson of the Weekly Accident Update…that we are all potentially vulnerable, so we must all be vigilant.  Thanks, reader, for letting us all learn from your experience. Change “Gear collapse on landing” to “Gear collapse—touch and go”)

NEW ITEMS THIS WEEK

1/1 1900Z (1400 local):  A Be35 was “substantially” damaged but the two aboard not injured when the Bonanza collided with trees while taxiing for takeoff, at Falmouth, Massachusetts.  According to the pilot’s statement, he “increased the throttle in order to start the airplane moving over snow that had accumulated on the apron and taxiway. (He) then reduced the throttle after the airplane began accelerating; however, the engine continued to run at a higher rpm. (The pilot) tried again to reduce the throttle, to no avail. The airplane continued to accelerate at a ‘higher than normal’ rate across the taxiway.  (He) then applied full right rudder pedal and right brake, but the airplane did not respond, and continued to slide on the snow. The airplane impacted a line of trees, on the opposite side of the taxiway, head-on.”  VMC weather prevailed; “A detailed (NTSB) examination of the throttle assembly and its associated components was scheduled for a later date.”

(“Taxied into object/pedestrian/other aircraft”; “Substantial damage”)

1/21 0020 (1820 local time 1/20/05):  Two died during a twilight flight, and their Be35 was “destroyed”,  during a “forced landing following a loss of engine power while maneuvering near the Abernathy Municipal Airport (F83), near Abernathy, Texas.”  The NTSB cites “a witness who was flying in the area at the time of the accident (who reports) the airplane was flying on a left downwind leg, with the landing gear and flaps down, for runway 17 at F83, at an approximate altitude of 1,000 feet above the ground (agl). When the airplane was abeam the north end of the runway, it began to descend below 500 feet agl. The airplane then made a descending right turn toward a southerly heading. Subsequently, the witness observed the right wing impacting the ground and a postimpact fire.”  Weather in the area was 25,000 broken, visibility 10 miles with a four-knot surface wind.  N399RH is/was a 1958 J35 registered since 1995 to an individual in Shallowater, Texas.

(“Engine failure on approach/landing”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”)

1/22 1330Z (0730 local):  Two died, and a Be36 was “destroyed,” when according to local media the Bonanza “clipped a power line” while attempting a landing at Brownwood, Texas.  “The landing gear clipped a power line, a (Department of Public Service) spokeswoman said. The plane hit a group of standing trees, the left wing broke off and the aircraft burst into flames, The Abilene Reporter-News reported in its Sunday editions.”  Weather was “clear and 10” with a nine-knot surface wind.  N1750A was a 1969 Model 36 registered since 1995 to an individual in Dallas, Texas.

(“Impact with obstacle during normal landing”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”) 

1/22 1855Z (1355 local):  A Be24 “slid off the side of the runway” while landing at North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The two aboard were not hurt and damage is “minor.”  Weather was “not reported.”  N37243 is a  1980 C24R registered since 1998 to a Wilmington, Delaware corporation.

(“Loss of directional control on landing”—a winter storm was bearing down on the area and the runway may have been contaminated with ice or snow)

1/25 0035Z (1635 local 10/24/05):  The solo pilot of a Be35 “executed an IFR missed approach (at) Lakeport, California (and) diverted to Ukiah (California), (then) crashed under unknown circumstances” at Ukiah.  The pilot has “serious” injuries, the Bonanza “substantial” damage.  Weather at Ukiah is “unknown.”  N222V is a 1962 P35 recently (August 2004) registered to a corporation in Sammamish, Washington.

(“Crash/Unknown”; “Serious injuries”; “Substantial damage”; “Recent registration”—I could not find a local media report of the incident by the time the mishap was posted by the FAA.  Weather in Northern California has been generally IMC or marginal VFR in rain with temperatures in the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit, so weather may have been a factor at Ukiah).

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS:  All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings. 

**1/1 G35 taxi mishap at Falmouth, MA, cited above.”

**1/8 fatal A35 collision with trees near Knoxville, TN.**

**1/14 fatal B55 takeoff mishap at Patterson, LA.  The airplane was seen “soon after becoming airborne (to be) climbing at a steep nose-high attitude.  At approximately 800 feet above ground level (agl), and approximately halfway down the length of the 5,401 foot long runway…the airplane start(ed) a slow left turn (and) both propellers were turning...the airplane's initial turn was slow, but then developed into a rapid and tight turn continuing until the airplane was in the inverted position. When inverted, the nose of the airplane dropped and (a) witness reported seeing the entire under and topside of the airplane as it made approximately two rotations before impacting the ground adjacent to the runway on private property.”  Post-crash investigation revealed “the elevator trim tab was found to be at an approximate 10-degree tab down setting. The flaps and landing gear were found in the retracted position…the left and right fuel selector handles…were set to the auxiliary fuel tank positions.”   Both propellers were found “slightly bent towards the non-cambered side…curled aft.”  (This is usually indicative of propeller windmilling on impact—even at idle power, thrust bends the propeller blades forward and on impact they tend to curl forward.  Although the trim position is an interesting anomaly I hope the NTSB investigates further, we’ve seen numerous cases of fuel starvation before when pilots aggressively maneuver while auxiliary fuel tanks are selected.  The Baron POH carries a limitation to “takeoff and land on main fuel tanks only.”  A likely scenario in this case would be a stall/spin resulting from loss of engine power resulting from fuel starvation while at a high angle of attack. Until we might hear differently, change “Takeoff/Unknown” to “Stall/Spin on takeoff.)”  

1/21 J35 engine failure in the pattern at Abernathy, TX, cited above.**

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