Beech V35 accident near Syosset, NY
On May 3, 2016, a Beech V35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Syosset, NY. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 3, 2016
- Place
- Syosset, NY
- Aircraft
- Beech V35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.834°N, 73.490°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160503X70529
Official records · ERA16FA176
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Audio File - Pilot Weather Briefing From Flight Service: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Transcripts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 3, 2016, at 1542 eastern daylight time, a Beech V35B airplane, N440H, experienced an in-flight breakup near Syosset, New York. The airline transport pilot and two passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The pilot was operating the airplane as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) existed near the accident site about the time of the accident, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Robertson Field (4B8), Plainville, Connecticut. The flight originated from Grand Strand Airport, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, about 1240. According to air traffic control (ATC) transcripts provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), about 1522, the pilot checked in with ATC and stated that he was level at 7,000 ft. About 1 minute later, he reported to a controller that the vacuum system had failed and that he had lost the associated gyroscopic instruments and part of the instrument panel, and he asked for the easiest approach to descend to the destination airport. The pilot then stated that the flight was currently operating in visual flight rules (VFR) on top of clouds and that he wanted to continue VFR at 7,000 ft to his destination airport because he did not want to descend into the clouds. The controller asked the pilot if he wanted to declare an emergency, and the pilot stated, "yes," and confirmed that he wanted to proceed to his destination airport because the "weather's…better there." The controller then briefed
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of airplane control while operating in instrument meteorological conditions with only a partial instrument panel due to a failure of the airplane's vacuum pump. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's spatial disorientation and the operation of the vacuum pump beyond the 6-year time limit recommended by the vacuum pump manufacturer.
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Browse: New York · 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.
