Beechcraft D55 N8165W

Summary

On 1 January 2006 at about 19:44 local time, a Beechcraft D55 registered N8165W was involved in an accident near Dawson, Georgia, United States. 5 people were on board and 2 died, 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 January 2006 at 19:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Dawson, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Dawson Municipal Airport (16J)

Coordinates

31.7431, -84.4192

Aircraft

Beechcraft D55

Registration

N8165W

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Indianapolis → Dawson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC06FA048

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to preclude a stall, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and loss of control while circling to land. Factors associated with the accident were the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and weather evaluation, low clouds, a low fuel condition, and an inadvertent stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and four passengers departed with full fuel on an IFR cross-country flight. Approximately 3 hours after departure, the pilot initiated an instrument approach at an airport where he planned to refuel. Due to low cloud ceilings, the pilot was unable to land, and flew to an alternate airport. He attempted another instrument approach, and when he again could not land, he informed ATC that the airplane was "running out of fuel," and he needed to be vectored to the closest airport. The pilot attempted another instrument approach at the third airport; however, the pilot-rated passenger reported the cloud layer was approximately 100 feet, and they could not visually obtain the runway environment. Witnesses observed the airplane circle the runway three times, before the nose suddenly dropped straight down, and impacted the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed approximately 4 gallons of fuel remained in the fuel tanks following the accident, and no mechanical anomalies were noted. At the time of the accident, the airplane had been flying for a little over four hours. According to the Beechcraft Baron Pilot's Operating Handbook, each engine burned approximately 12-13 gallons of fuel per hour, and the endurance for the airplane was approximately 4.5 hours. A review of flight service station data revealed that the pilot obtained a weather briefing prior to departing, which indicated deteriorating weather conditions for the estimated time of arrival, but did not obtain any further updates while en route. The pilot-rated passenger stated that the engines continued to operate until impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.