Beechcraft G35 N4216D

Summary

On 24 July 2017 at about 03:30 local time, a Beechcraft G35 registered N4216D was involved in an accident near Wichita Falls, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 July 2017 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wichita Falls, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Wichita Valley (F14)

Coordinates

33.9442, -98.6131

Aircraft

Beechcraft G35

Registration

N4216D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1956

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Prairie → Wichita Falls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CEN17LA282

1 person was seriously injured.

The flight's encounter with adverse weather conditions at night, which resulted in the pilot's loss of airplane control upon landing due to standing water and a subsequent runway overrun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot stated that the cross-country personal flight proceeded normally until he entered the downwind leg for landing. During the landing approach in dark night conditions, he noted scattered thunderstorms ahead. During the final approach, he thought the airplane was too high, and he considered conducting a go-around. The airplane encountered a strong downdraft, heavy rain, and turbulence, and the pilot saw several lightning strikes ahead. The pilot decided to land and risk overrunning the runway rather than possibly entering the thunderstorm. Upon landing, the airplane overran the end of the runway, the second half of which had standing water on it, and then struck a berm. An automated weather observation facility 7 miles east of the accident site reported, at the time of the accident, variable winds from between 060° and 360° at between 16 and 20 knots, gusting to between 21 and 29 knots with a peak wind of 35 knots. A thunderstorm was present near the airport with lightning observed in all quadrants.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.