BEECH WEEKLY ACCIDENT UPDATE - Thomas P Turner's Mastery of Flight

Piston Beechcraft Accidents 5/9/2024 through 5/15/2024

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.

THE WEEKLY ACCIDENT UPDATE IS AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCT OF MASTERY FLIGHT TRAINING, INC.

New reports this week

5/9 0010Z (1700 local Wednesday afternoon 5/8/24): Landing at Sacramento, California, a Be33 “porpoised” and “sheared off [its] nose gear and incurred a propeller strike.” The pilot, alone in the aircraft, was unhurt, and airplane damage is reported as “minor.” N30CA (CE-508) is a 1974 F33A.

(“Porpoised on landing”—a condition, as discussed in the Debrief to this week’s FLYING LESSONS, that is usually the result of touching down too fast. As I wrote in the Debrief, “it is perhaps somewhat better to be a little fast than to be slow on approach, but it’s important to be at the correct speed for approach and landing—not too slow, but not too fast either.”

5/9 2149Z (1749 local Thursday evening): A Be36 “landed and [its] nose gear collapsed,” at Sarasota, Florida. The solo pilot was unhurt and airplane damage is “minor.” N714RZ (E-4047) is a 2014 G36.

(“Gear collapse during landing”)

5/12 2105Z (1405 local Sunday afternoon): A Be33 “struck a bird” in flight at San Luis Obispo, California. “Post flight inspection revealed [a] dent in [the] right wing.” The pilot, alone in the airplane, was not hurt. Airplane damage is deemed “minor.” N317T (CD-95) is a 1960 35-33.

(“Bird strike”)

New NTSB reports this week

5/2 fatal A36 crash shortly after takeoff at Augusta, Georgia. From the report:

The airplane proceeded on runway heading for about 1⁄2 nautical mile (nm), where a left turn was initiated. The airplane continued in the left turn, at about 200–300 ft above the ground, for about 30 seconds and crashed into the top of mature oak trees in a residential area, severing the outboard half of the left wing. The outboard wing section remained lodged in a tree, about 60 ft above the ground. The airplane continued and impacted the front yard of a residence, coming to rest upright…. [A]ll structural components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The landing gear were found in the extended (down) position and the wing flaps were retracted (up).

No calls of distress from the pilot were noted. The departure airport utilized a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) that was not recorded. Several local residents provided home surveillance video to investigators. Although the airplane could not be seen within the fields of view of the cameras, the engine could be heard, running at high rpm until the sounds of tree and ground impact were heard.

Recorded weather near the time of the accident included calm wind, a clear sky, and 10 nm visibility.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.

This mishap remains “Takeoff/unknown/attempt to return to runway.” The NTSB upgraded aircraft damage from “substantial” to “destroyed,” matching the unofficial level reported last week. It also confirms the weather was calm VMC. Although the NTSB’s information is only preliminary, the evidence reported suggests this may not have been an engine failure mishap.

Online speculation is that perhaps the Bonanza’s forward cabin door popped open and the pilot may have been distracted instead of focusing on flying the airplane normally. The forward door opening at or shortly after liftoff is a common occurrence in Bonanzas, but the airplane flies normally with little degradation in performance when this happens. Aerodynamic forces acting on the door in flight make it virtually impossible to secure the door and the best—perhaps only realistic—course of action is to land normally and then secure the door. I consider experiencing this under controlled circumstance to be a rite of passage for the Beech pilot and an essential part of transition training. I caution, however, that there is no evidence yet that this or anything else was a factor in this tragedy. We now begin the long wait for the NTSB’s final report.

2024 SUMMARY

Reported Beechcraft piston mishaps, 2024

Total reported: 52 reports

Environment

Operation in VMC: 20 reports

Operation in IMC: 1 report

Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 31 reports

Operation at night: 6 reports

Most Serious Injury

“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 0 reports

Fatal accidents: 4 reports

Aircraft damage

“Substantial” damage: 13 reports

Aircraft “destroyed”: 6 reports

BONANZA/BARON Series: 42 reports

By Aircraft Type

Be35 Bonanza 15 reports

Be36 Bonanza 10 reports

Be55 Baron 10 reports

Be33 Debonair/Bonanza 6 reports

Be58 Baron 3 reports

Environment

Operation in VMC: 16 reports

Operation in IMC: 1 report

Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 24 reports

Operation at night: 5 reports

Most Serious Injury

“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 0 reports

Fatal accidents: 5 reports

Aircraft damage

“Substantial” damage: 8 reports

Aircraft “destroyed”: 5 reports

PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE

(all subject to update per official findings):

FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 6 reports

Impact during landing 2 reports

Collision with obstacle during landing 1 report (Be55)

Landed short/Collided with vehicle on ground 1 report (Be55)

Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I)

Stall/spin/Loss of control in flight/Dual instruction 1 report (Be55)

Inflight fire

Fire in flight during go-around 1 report (Be35)

Impact during takeoff

Takeoff/unknown/attempt to return to runway 1 report (Be36)

OTHER EVENTS 36 reports

Landing gear related mishaps 20 reports

Gear up landing 7 reports (Be23/24, three Be35s; two Be36s; Be55)

Gear collapse during landing 6 reports (two Be33s; Be35; Be36; two Be55s)

Inadvertent gear retraction during landing 1 report (Be58)

Inadvertent gear retraction during taxi 1 report (Be35)

Wheel separation during landing 1 report (Be36)

Gear collapse during landing/Post-crash fire 1 report (Be36)

Inadvertent gear retraction on the ground/touch and go 1 report (Be35)

Impact during landing 5 reports

Runway overrun/door open after liftoff/attempted to land on remaining runway/nose gear collapse 1 report (Be33)

Loss of directional control during landing 1 report (Be35)

Propeller strike/damage to both wings during landing 1 report (Be35)

Loss of control during landing/airplane flipped upside down 1 report (Be55)

Porpoised on landing 1 report (Be33)

Engine failure 4 reports

Engine failure in flight 2 reports (both Be35s)

Engine failure during takeoff/overran runaway 1 report (Be35)

Engine failure/oil pressure loss in flight/off-airport landing 1 report (Be36)

Impact during takeoff 3 reports

Runway overrun/aborted takeoff 1 report (Be58)

Loss of directional control during takeoff/crosswinds 1 report (Be35)

Takeoff/unknown 1 report (Be35)

Miscellaneous

Bird strike 2 reports (Be33; Be36)

Severe turbulence/hail encounter 1 report (Be58)

Taxiway excursion at night 1 report (Be36)

Cowling came off in flight 1 report (Be36)

BEECH AERO CLUB Series: 10 reports

By Aircraft Type

Be23 Musketeer/Sundowner 4 reports

Be24 Sierra 4 reports

Be76 Duchess 2 reports

Environment

Operation in VMC: 5 reports

Operation in IMC: 0 reports

Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 5 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”: 1 report

PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE

(all subject to update per official findings):

FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 0 reports

OTHER EVENTS 10 reports

Impact on landing 4 reports

Loss of directional control during landing/runway excursion 2 reports (Be23; Be23-24)