Beechcraft BE-36 N1750A

Summary

On 22 January 2005 at about 12:49 local time, a Beechcraft BE-36 registered N1750A was involved in an accident near Brownwood, Texas, 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

22 January 2005 at 12:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Brownwood, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Brownwood Regional Airport (BWD)

Coordinates

31.7783, -98.9578

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-36

Registration

N1750A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dallas → Brownwood

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

DFW05FA059

2 people died.

The pilots failure to maintain proper altitude and clearance while on final approach to land. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of familiarity with the geographic area, the dark night light conditions, the non-availability of a visual approach glide slope light system, and spatial disorientation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 785-hour instrument rated private pilot was on a night visual approach to the runway without a visual approach glide slope indicator lights when the airplane collided with electrical wires, trees, and the ground . A witness, who was located 2.82 miles south of the accident site, stated that it was dark, the wind was calm, and the sky was clear. He observed the airplane in-flight overhead flying at a "high speed" at an altitude of about 500 feet above the ground (agl). He further reported that he saw the airplane's navigational lights illuminated, and that the airplane's engine sounded "normal" and was "loud." One of the residents went outside, saw flames shooting in the air, and called "911." Local authorities reported that electrical service to nearby residences was interrupted coincident with the accident time. Evidence at the accident site revealed that the airplane initially struck two 40-foot high electrical lines that were perpendicular to the flight path. The electrical lines were found separated and lying on the ground near their support poles. No mechanical anomalies were found that would have contributed to the accident. The NTSB IIC conducted a test to see whether or not the pilot would have been able to see the runway from the point of where the airplane impacted the wires. Several days after the accident, in similar dark night light conditions that prevailed at the time of the accident, a fire ladder truck was utilized to elevate a fireman to the height of the airplane's initial impact with wires. At a height of 40 feet, the runway was found to be clearly visible in the dark night. Several firemen climbed the ladder and stated that when looking straight out toward the runway, they "thought they where about 150-200 feet above the ground." There were no lights between the accident site and the runway, and the terrain sloped down, and then back up to the runway threshold. The sensation was that there appeared to be a "black hole" type of effect when looking straight out from the accident site toward the runway threshold. There was no discernable horizon. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that the pilot had never been to the accident airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.