Mastery Flight Training, Inc. Beech Weekly Accident Update archives
July 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
7/14/05 Report
NEW REPORTS THIS WEEK
6/23 0000Z (1800 local 6/22/05): While on a dual instructional flight, a Be76 “impacted terrain during an attempted go-around at Glendale Municipal Airport, Glendale, Arizona. The CFI, a student receiving instruction, and a third aircraft occupant received ‘minor’ injuries” while the Duchess was “destroyed” in a post-impact fire. “Visual meteorological conditions” prevailed. “The CFI related that the training flight was to familiarize the (student) with the…Duchess…. After demonstrating a couple of single engine maneuvers with the left engine shut down, they attempted to restart the engine, but were unsuccessful. During the subsequent attempts to start the engine they could smell burning insulation and saw a trace of smoke from behind the right side of the instrument panel. The CFI said that he performed the emergency procedures for an electrical fire in flight. During the checklist he found that the number 2 electrical buss circuit breaker had popped. With a loss of all of the airplane's radios and instruments except for the number 1 radio/GPS and the fuel gauges, he decided to return to Glendale. While flying back to Glendale, they transitioned past Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR), Goodyear, Arizona. The CFI contacted Goodyear tower and requested and received clearance to transition. When the CFI contacted Glendale tower he requested a straight in approach to runway 01 due to single engine operations. The CFI attempted to extend the landing gear by use of the manual extension procedures. He observed that the nose gear down indicator failed to illuminate. The CFI contacted Glendale tower and asked them if the nose gear was down. The tower told him that the nose wheel did not appear to be down. The CFI aborted the landing and tried to circle around to land on runway 19. The CFI said that he was finally able to extend the landing gear and was setting up to land on runway 19 when he told the tower that he was declaring an emergency because he could not maintain altitude. The airplane landed about 1/4 mile north of runway 19 in a dirt field. After the CFI, (the student), and the passenger exited the airplane, the grass caught fire, and the post impact fire consumed the airplane.”
(“Controlled flight into terrain—maneuvering on one engine”; “Aircraft destroyed”; “Dual instruction”—very few light twins have the capability of climbing [or even maintaining altitude] on one engine when heavily loaded).
6/23 1945Z (1545 local): After landing at West Milford, New Jersey, a Be35 “went off the runway and into a ditch.” No one was hurt; aircraft damage was “substantial.” Weather: “visual.” N6908 (D-3182) is a 1952 C35 registered since 2003 to an individual in Hewitt, New Jersey.
(“Loss of directional control on landing”; “Substantial damage”)
6/28 2135Z (1635 local): A Be36’s nose gear collapsed on landing at Addison, Texas. None of the six on board were injured; aircraft damage is “minor.” Weather “not reported.” N6087S (E-784) is a 1975 A36 registered since 2002 to a co-ownership in Garland, Texas.
(“Gear collapse on landing”)
7/2 0155Z (1855 local 7/1/05): The pilot of a Be55 “told Whidbey (Washington) Approach…he had an engine problem but did not declare an emergency.” Controllers handed the pilot off to a local CTAF and the Baron subsequently crashed into the water off Lopez Island, Washington. Two died; two others have “serious” injuries, and a fifth aircraft occupant has “minor” injuries. The airplane is submerged and “destroyed.” Weather was “not reported.” N686T (TE-986) was an E55 (year not reported) registered since 1990 to an individual in Sisters, Oregon.
(“Controlled flight into terrain/water—maneuvering on one engine”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”—another heavily-loaded twin-engine airplane flying on one engine.)
7/3 1711Z (1311 local): The pilot of a Be35 died and a second occupant suffered “minor” injuries, when the Bonanza, IFR en route from Houston, Texas to Panama City, Florida, “developed engine trouble near Defuniak Springs, Florida.” The Bonanza “crashed in a swamp” and was “destroyed.” Weather was “few clouds” at 3600, 6000 scattered, with 10 miles visibility and a seven-knot surface wind. N2056W (D-8040) was a 1966 V35 recently (October 2004) registered to a co-ownership in Friendswood, Texas.
(“Engine failure in flight”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”; “Recent registration”)
7/4 1450Z (1050 local): A Be33’s gear collapsed on landing at Cape May, New Jersey, resulting in “unknown” damage and no injury to the solo pilot. Weather was “few clouds” at 1600, visibility 10 with a six-knot wind. N7349R (CE-507) is a 1974 F33A registered since 1990 to an individual in Baltimore, Maryland.
(“Gear collapse on landing”)
7/5 0830Z (0430 local): A Be33 “ran off the end of the runway” at Atlanta, Georgia’s Fulton County Airport. There were no injuries and damage is “minor.” Weather for the trip, which originated in Carrollton, Georgia, was “not reported.” N8259E (CE-1641) is a 1992 F33A registered since 2002 to a Wilmington, Delaware corporation.
(“Landed long”; “Night”)
7/11 1400Z (1000 local): The pilot of a Be19, en route from Jacksonville, Florida to Vandenberg, Florida, “reported fuel exhaustion and landed in a swamp” near Tampa, Florida. Alone in the Sport, the pilot was not hurt; damage is “unknown.” Weather conditions were not reported. N1963W (MB-627) is/was a 1973 B19 registered since 2002 to a co-ownership in Tampa.
(“Fuel exhaustion”)
NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS: All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings.
**6/17 “serious injuries” C35 engine failure and landing on a freeway in Pasadena, California. Add “Serious injuries” and “Dual instruction”. The engine quit when changing fuel tanks and would run only when the pilot pumped the wobble pump, but not with an electric boost pump on any tank. On landing the airplane hit a car and came to rest inverted.**
**6/18 K35 engine failure at Apple Valley, California. The Bonanza collided with a pole attempting to land on a rural road. The pilot reports a “fuel problem” and “engine sputtering” prior to total engine failure.**
**6/22 Duchess impact during single-engine go-around at Glendale, Arizona, cited above.**
**6/23 C35 loss of control on landing at West Milford, New Jersey, cited above.**
**7/1 B55 double-fatality impact with water at Lopez, Washington, cited above.**
7/21/05 Report
UPDATE
RE: the 7/11 Be19 fuel exhaustion and off-airport landing in a swamp near Tampa, Florida, the FAA preliminary report has been amended to change “unknown” damage to “minor.”
FROM UNOFFICIAL SOURCES
7/14 (time note reported): According to a reader, a Be35 “impacted a deer while conducting a night landing at Boerne Stage Airfield (5C1),” Texas. “The nose gear was sheared and prop badly damaged.” There were no injuries; the “FAA viewed the (aircraft) and ruled it an accident based upon some buckling of the nose gear tunnel structure.” Weather was not reported. N8753A (D-2175) is a 1949 A35 registered since 1993 to an individual in Warner Robins, Georgia.
(“Impact with animal on runway during landing”; “Substantial damage” [as indicated by the FAA]; “Night”)
NEW REPORTS THIS WEEK
7/13 2200Z (1600 local): A Be36, departing Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Double Eagle Airport, “lost oil pressure and on attempted landing, landed gear up.” The two aboard the local flight were not hurt. Aircraft damage is “minor.” Weather: “few clouds” each at 4600, 7500 and 10,000 feet, visibility greater than six miles and surface winds at eight gusting to 16 knots. N3042V (EA-622) is a 1998 B36TC registered since 2000 to a corporation based in Farmington, New Mexico.
(“Engine failure on takeoff—loss of oil pressure”—for now, it sounds like the gear-up landing was only incidental to the engine problem. If later updates show this was not an immediate return to the runway on takeoff, the mishap will be reclassified as a gear-up landing)
7/14 0158Z (1858 local 7/13/05): “On landing,” a Be35 “pulled up to avoid an animal (on the runway, and) ran into a ditch and onto the street” at Oregon City, Oregon. The solo pilot was not hurt; damage is “substantial” and weather conditions “unknown.” N5576D (D-5106) is a 1957 H35 registered since 2002 to an individual in Lakeville, Minnesota.
(“Runway excursion on landing—attempting to avoid animal on runway”; “Substantial damage”)
7/14 1945Z (1245 local): The pilot of a Be36 “attempted to return to Sequim Valley Airport (at Sequim, Washington) after the (Bonanza’s IO-550) engine sputtered on departure. On landing the (aircraft’s) gear collapsed.” The solo pilot avoiding injury; damage is “substantial.” Weather: “clear and 10” with a four-knot wind. N3119T (E-2878) is a 1994 A36 registered since 1994 to an individual in Van Nuys, California.;
(“Gear collapse on landing”; “Substantial damage”—similar to the ABQ incident above, this is subject to later change. For now, however, this one reads to suggest the airplane might not have been immediately above the runway on takeoff when the engine “sputtered”)
7/16 1843Z (1143 local): A Be35’s landing gear collapsed on landing, at Whiteman Airport, Los Angeles, California. Alone in the airplane, the pilot was not hurt; damage is deemed “minor.” Weather conditions: “sky clear,” visibility six miles in haze. N2148D (D-3495) is a 1953 D35 registered since 2000 to a corporation based in Carson City, Nevada.
(“Gear collapse on landing”)
7/17 1725Z (1325 local): A Be35’s landing gear collapsed on landing at Venice, Florida. The solo pilot was not hurt; damage is likely to be ruled “substantial” (based on the owner’s online report to a chat room) and weather was visual. The retraction on landing appears to be the result of mechanical causes and not pilot-induced. N119W (D-3518) is a 1953 D35 registered since 2002 to a corporation in Sarasota, Florida.
(“Landing gear: known mechanical malfunction”; “Substantial damage”)
7/17 2300Z (1700 local): A Be35 landed gear up at Los Alamos, New Mexico. The solo pilot, arriving from Boulder, Colorado, avoided injury despite “substantial” aircraft damage. Weather conditions are “unknown.” N1897E (D-8313) is a 1966 V35 registered since 2003 to a corporation in Los Alamos.
(“Gear up landing”; “Substantial damage”)
NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS: All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings.
**7/3 fatal V35 engine failure at Defuniak Springs, Florida. The passenger’s injuries have been downgraded to “serious.”**
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