Beech 35 accident near Glencoe, MN
On March 21, 2012, a Beech 35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Glencoe, MN. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 21, 2012
- Place
- Glencoe, MN
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.832°N, 94.132°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120322X05609
Official records · CEN12FA196
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 21, 2012, at 1112 central daylight time, a Beech 35, N3871N, was substantially damaged when it impacted an open field under unknown circumstances five miles north of Glencoe, Minnesota. A post impact fire ensued. The non-instrument rated private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Crystal Airport (KMIC), Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was en route to Craig, Colorado. Several witnesses in the area reported hearing an airplane flying low and hearing a loud snap or pop. One witness heard a second explosion as the airplane struck the ground. These witnesses described the weather as low overcast skies with limited visibility due to light fog and mist. There was no radar data available from the Federal Aviation Administration for the accident flight. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 52, held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating. He was issued a third class airman medical certificate on October 28, 2011. The certificate contained the limitation “must wear corrective lenses.” At the time of application for his airman medical certificate, the pilot reported a total time of 250 hours, and no flight time within the preceding six months. The pilot’s family provided the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge two logbooks for review.
Probable cause
The non-instrument-rated pilot’s continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the design limits of the airplane being exceeded and an in-flight breakup.
More accidents in MN
- Jetstream BA-3100, Dec 2, 1993
- Raytheon Corporate Jets BAE 125-800A, Jul 31, 2008
- Beech King Air 100, Oct 25, 2002
- Cessna 180, Jul 12, 1987
- Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, Nov 25, 2007
Browse: Minnesota · 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.
