Beech BE-55-D55 accident near Clifton, AZ
On December 1, 2000, a Beech BE-55-D55 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Clifton, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 1, 2000
- Place
- Clifton, AZ
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-55-D55 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.961°N, 109.226°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X22298
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 30, 2000, at 1944 mountain standard time, a Beech D55 twin-engine airplane, N7901R, was destroyed by a post impact fire after it collided with a utility pole while on final approach to the Greenlee County Airport, Clifton, Arizona. The airplane was registered to, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries and his pilot-rated passenger received serious injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a flight plan had not been filed. The cross-country flight departed the Show Low Municipal Airport, Show Low, Arizona, about 1845. A deputy sheriff from the Greenlee County Sheriff's Department interviewed a witness to the accident. The witness reported that he was at the airport to pickup the pilot and passenger for an Amway meeting in Clifton. The airplane made three attempts to land on runway 7. On the fourth attempt he saw the airplane veer to the left and burst into flames. He further stated that he had turned his vehicle lights on at the approach end of the runway so the pilot would be able to land. According to a supervisor at the Duncan Valley Electric Company, a power outage was noted at 1944. At 1949, the Greenlee County Sheriff's Department received a 911 emergency call indicating there had been an airplane accident at the Greenlee County Airport. The wreckage was located west of the airport, and east of a broken utility pole. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a commercial certificate with an airplane sin
Probable cause
the pilot's improper in-flight decision to attempt a landing on an unlit runway at night, and his failure to maintain the proper glide path and clearance from obstacles while on final approach, which resulted in the collision with a utility pole. A contributing factor was his failure to divert to an airport with constant runway lighting.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · Beech aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
