26 Jan 2017: BEECH BE35

26 Jan 2017: BEECH BE35 (N4213B) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Ozark, MO, United States

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to adequately monitor the environment and to maintain sufficient altitude to clear power lines.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On January 26, 2017, about 1525 central standard time, a Beech BE35 single engine airplane, N4213B, registered to a private individual, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground after a collision with power lines while on VFR approach to the Gimlin Airport (18MO), Ozark, Missouri. The private pilot sustained minor injuries and one pilot-rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The personal local flight was being conducted under the provisions of Federal Code of Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from 18MO about 1430.

According to the pilot, the flight was intended to gain some experience in his recently purchased airplane. After completing about 10 touch and go landings at a nearby airport, the flight was returning to 18MO for a full stop landing. The pilot announced the he was entering a left downwind to runway 36, reduced speed, and lowered the landing gear. Upon turning to final approach, the pilot lowered the flaps and was concentrating on lining up the airplane on runway centerline. The pilot stated that he did not see the power lines, nor was he looking for any, because they "had not been a factor" in his previous three approaches. The last thing he remembered is "something had exploded" in his face," and opening his eyes inside the wreckage. After the accident, the pilot stated that there were no mechanical issues with the airplane.

The pilot-rated passenger stated that the airplane was lined up with the runway on final and he felt that the airplane was a little low, but thought that the pilot was making a flat, power-on approach, due to the crosswinds. Upon passing over a tree line, he stated that the pilot surprised him by pulling back the power instead of adding power. The airplane seem to sink into the power lines.

After colliding with the power lines, the airplane impacted the ground and tumbled inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The power lines were located about 1/4 mile from the airport. Evidence at the accident site showed that the airplane had collided with the top 2 lines of a 4-line power line. The propeller struck the top line and the nose gear hit the second line down. The airplane hit the ground with the right wing, tumbled, and came to rest inverted.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pilot
  • cause Pilot
  • cause Altitude — Not attained/maintained
  • cause Effect on operation

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 320/14kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 40,000+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.