Beechcraft M35 N9872R
5 February 2016 · San Pedro, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 5 February 2016 at about 23:00 local time, a Beechcraft M35 registered N9872R was involved in an accident near San Pedro, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Pedro, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Zamperini Field (TOA)
- Coordinates
- 33.7853, -118.4236
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft M35
- Registration
- N9872R
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1960
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Camarillo → Torrance
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR16FA065
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The failure of the pilots of both airplanes to see and avoid each other as they converged nearly head-on, which resulted in a midair collision. Contributing to the accident was the effect of sun glare on the other pilot.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A private pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were on a personal cross-county flight in a Beechcraft M35, and a private pilot was on a local personal flight in a Bellanca 8KCAB when the airplanes collided in mid-air over an ocean harbor. Before the collision, the Beechcraft, a low-wing airplane, was descending from 3,500 ft, and flying in an east-northeast direction. The Bellanca, a high-wing airplane, was flying toward the sun in a west-northwest direction with intermittent radar returns between 3,000 and 3,500 ft. Radar data showed the tracks of both airplanes converge with the airplanes approaching each other nearly head-on. The last radar return from the Beechcraft, just before the collision, was at 3,300 ft. Following the collision, both airplanes descended, impacted the ocean, and sank. Postaccident examination of the recovered wreckage of both airplanes revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of either airplane. Postaccident examination did not identify any paint transfer marks on the airframe of either airplanes; however, not all the parts of the airplanes were recovered. Ethanol was found in the tissues of each pilot, however, it is most likely that the ethanol was the result of post mortem production. Diphenhydramine, which can cause drowsiness and slow psychomotor reaction time, was detected in the Bellanca pilot's tissue; however, the lack of a blood sample precluded determination of the level of the drug present, and it could not be determined whether the Bellanca pilot was impaired by the effects of diphenhydramine. All three pilots had a limitation on their Federal Aviation Administration medical certificates for eyeglasses; but two, the Beech pilot-rated passenger and the Bellanca pilot, only required them for near vision, which was not a factor in this accident. The Bellanca pilot had had cataract surgery on both eyes more than a year before the accident; this would be expected to significantly improve her vision and, therefore, likely did not contribute to the accident. Overall, it is unlikely that any problem with distant vision in any of the three pilots contributed to the accident. It could not be determined why the Beechcraft pilot did not see the Bellanca. The Bellanca pilot was flying toward the sun, and sun glare could have contributed to her inability to see the approaching Beechcraft.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft M35 NO SERIES | N9872R | - | Substantial |
| Bellanca 8KCAB NO SERIES | N5057G | - | Substantial |
Other Beechcraft M35 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 2017 | Beechcraft M35 | Lake Havasu City, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2015 | Beechcraft M35 | Amery, Wisconsin, United States | St. Croix Bonaza Association LLC | Fatal | 4 |
| 17 Sep 2021 | Beechcraft M35 | Osage Beach, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Sep 2022 | Beechcraft M35 | Henderson, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jan 2023 | Beechcraft M35 | Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Jan 2023 | Beechcraft M35 | Tomball, Texas, United States | TFF, Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct 2016 | Joe Salomone SUPER CUB SQ2 | Boca Reservoir, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Dec 2016 | Cessna T210M | Mecca, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2016 | Siai-Marchetti SF260 | Fullerton, California, United States | Air Combat, USA | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Dec 2016 | Bombardier CL 600 2B19 | San Francisco, California, United States | Skywest Airlines Inc | Unknown | - |
| 24 Aug 2016 | Cessna 182 | Fallbrook, California, United States | Civil Air Patrol Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2016 | Cessna 172 | San Diego, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |