On February 1, 2001, a Beech B-19 (registration N9746L) was involved in an aviation accident near Louisa, VA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in a hard landing. Factor's in this accident were the loss of electrical power due to an alternator failure and the night light conditions. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A complete electrical failure occurred during cruise flight. On final approach, the airplane dropped 12-15 feet onto the runway; the nose gear separated and the airplane slid to a stop. The alternator had an internal failure.
Event Summary
While in cruise flight, the airplane suffered a total loss of electrical power. The pilot later reported that during the landing sequence, the aircraft decelerated excessively on final approach and descended abruptly, dropping an estimated 12 to 15 feet onto the runway surface. The impact caused the nose landing gear to detach, and the airplane slid to a halt.
Pilot Information
The pilot held 235 total flight hours, with 27 hours accumulated in the accident airplane's make and model. He stated that he had operated the same airplane at night two days before the accident without any electrical issues. During the accident landing, the runway lights were illuminated.
Post-Accident Examination
Inspection of the airplane's alternator revealed an internal mechanical failure that prevented it from generating adequate voltage to supply the aircraft's electrical systems. This failure was determined to be the reason for the complete electrical failure experienced during cruise.