Beechcraft B-95 N3WT

Summary

On 4 September 2000 at about 16:25 local time, a Beechcraft B-95 registered N3WT was involved in an accident near Odessa, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 September 2000 at 16:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Odessa, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.2200, -82.6233

Aircraft

Beechcraft B-95

Registration

N3WT

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Odessa → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

MIA00FA260

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to maintain Vmc, which resulted in a loss of control, and collision with the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to feather a propeller powered by an operational engine, while at a low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident aircraft was found in a field after an emergency locator transmitter beacon had made an alert of a possible accident having occurred. At about 1225, a witness, who had also been a student pilot, was in a housing development near where the accident aircraft was found, and he said that he had observed an aircraft maneuvering at a low altitude, just above the tree line. He said he saw the aircraft enter a steep bank, and start a dive with its left wing down. According to the witness, the aircraft then went below the tree line, and he waited for signs of an impact, such as noise or smoke, but did not hear or see anything. He said he then assumed that the pilot might have recovered enough to set the aircraft down in the field. He said the aircraft had descended as an eagle would, had it been attacking a small animal. FAA Tampa Approach radar information showed that the accident aircraft had been at 300 feet at 1221:44, and it had climbed to a maximum altitude of 1,100 feet at 1223:35. At 1224:21, radar information showed the aircraft at 700 feet, prior to all radar information being lost. The accident occurred during daylight hours, in visual meteorological condition, and examination of the accident aircraft did not reveal any preexisting failure or malfunction to the aircraft or any of its systems. The accident aircraft propeller signatures that were found were consistent with the left propeller having been feathered, and the right propeller rotating upon impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.