Beechcraft 58P N58PB

Summary

On 9 September 2000 at about 15:26 local time, a Beechcraft 58P registered N58PB, operated by James C. Barnett, was involved in an accident near Brookhaven, Mississippi, 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

9 September 2000 at 15:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Brookhaven, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Brookhaven-Lincoln County (1R7)

Coordinates

31.5802, -90.4391

Aircraft

Beechcraft 58P

Registration

N58PB

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

James C. Barnett

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Orlando → Brookhaven

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA00FA265

2 people died.

The poor in-flight planning/decision by the pilot for flying a close-in downwind leg, improper aircraft handling by the pilot for his executing a 70-75 degree angle of bank turning base to final while circling to land, and inadvertent stall/mush of the airplane by the pilot-in-command.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an IFR flight when near the destination airport, the pilot was provided the most current weather for the closest airport and also with the current altimeter setting required for the approach. The flight was cleared for the non-precision approach and according to two pilot-rated witnesses who were related to the pilot and were waiting at the airport for the flight to arrive, the weather conditions at the airport consisted of a ceiling at 500-600 feet and the visibility was 3 statute miles. No weather reporting was available at the destination airport. The airplane was observed on the downwind leg flying beneath the clouds and 644 feet abeam the runway with the landing gear extended and what appeared to be approach flaps. One of the witnesses reported that he heard a sound he associated with the propellers being placed in the low pitch position and also heard the engines increase rpm what he thought was full power for what he thought would be a missed approach. The airplane then began turning base leg when the flight had passed 10-20 degrees past the numbers; the bank angle increased to approximately 70-75 degrees and the nose then pitched down and the airplane impacted the ground. The witness reported that the engine sound did not change from the moment he heard power applied to the point of impact. Examination of the engines, propellers, and flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The flap selector switch was found in the down position and the left flap actuator was found in the full down position; no determination could be made as to the position of the right flap actuator. The stall speed increase with a 70 and 75-degree angle of bank is 73 percent and approximately 100 percent, respectively.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.