Beechcraft 35-B33 N486W

Summary

On 19 September 1998 at about 05:35 local time, a Beechcraft 35-B33 registered N486W was involved in an accident near San Jose, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 September 1998 at 05:35

Classification

Accident

Location

San Jose, California, United States

Nearest airport

Reid-Hillview of Santa Cl (RHV)

Coordinates

37.3798, -121.8993

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-B33

Registration

N486W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX98FA297

2 people died.

the pilot's loss of aircraft control and entry into a spiral dive for undetermined reasons. The dark night lighting conditions and the pilot's probable low recent flight experience were factors in this accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After washing the airplane, the pilot took off for a short night flight to dry it. Family members reported that the pilot's habit was to do a 15- to 20-minute flight after washing the airplane. A witness near the accident site saw the airplane's nose pointed downward and its red and green position lights spiraling around as it descended. Another witness located closer to the impact location heard loud sustained engine sounds 'like a kamikaze in a dive.' The airplane collided with trees and hilly terrain and the extensively fragmented wreckage was spread over a 100- by 200-foot debris field. The aircraft sounds terminated after a few seconds with the sound of '2 cars hitting each other.' The pilot's last reported flight review was conducted in a helicopter. The last pilot logbook entry was dated May 28, 1997, the date of the last flight review. According to the aircraft logbook, the pilot would have averaged about 1.8 flight hours per month in the airplane during the past 11.5 months. Weather observations reported clear skies with no visibility restrictions. There was no moon illumination. The only ground reference lights were from the city, which was located north and west of the accident site. No preimpact failures or malfunctions were found during the wreckage examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.