Beech BE-35 accident near Stephenville, TX
On May 20, 2002, a Beech BE-35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Stephenville, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 20, 2002
- Place
- Stephenville, TX
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.215°N, 98.177°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020528X00738
Official records · FTW02FA155
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 20, 2002, at approximately 1050 central daylight time, a Beech BE-35 single-engine airplane, N3157V, owned and operated by a private individual, was destroyed following a loss of control while maneuvering to land on Runway 14 at Clark Field Municipal Airport (SEP), near Stephenville, Texas. The commercial pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight. The local flight originated at 0945 from SEP. Several witnesses observed the aircraft as it approached the airport. They reported the following information. According to two witnesses, who were monitoring the UNICOM at the time of the accident, stated they heard the pilot report a 45-degree entry to the downwind for Runway 14. The witness heard the pilot report base and observed the landing gear and flaps in the extended position. The witnesses noticed a Cessna 140 that did not have a radio on final approach for Runway 14, and notified the pilot of the accident aircraft. The pilot then turned back to downwind and the Cessna 140 broke traffic to the right. The pilot then turned back to base. The witnesses saw the left wing drop and the aircraft nose over to what appeared to be a 90-degree angle. They did not see the aircraft impact the ground, due to a hangar obscuring his view. According to one of the witnesses, the airplane was approximately 400-500 feet AGL when the "aircraft went vertical." A third witness, who is a private pilot and was driving we
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control and adequate airspeed, resulting in the inadvertent stall/spin. A contributing factor was the low altitude.
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Browse: Texas · 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.
