History of Flight
On March 26, 2021, at 1527 central standard time, a Beech 35 airplane, registration N3953N, was substantially damaged during a personal flight near Bridgeport, Texas. The airline transport pilot and a flight instructor were seriously injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot stated the purpose was to conduct his flight review. After landing and fueling, they practiced a simulated loss of engine power and returned to the airport. While approaching the runway with engine power at idle, the airplane encountered a strong downdraft; the pilot did not recall subsequent events. The instructor reported no memory of the accident flight.
One witness observed the airplane descending from the north, appearing slow. It pulled up just before hitting trees, then “flipped” and struck the ground upright. Another witness saw the airplane at low altitude over a highway, nose up, tail barely clearing power lines. After crossing the road, the nose pitched up, the airplane banked right, and the right wing hit trees before descending out of sight. This witness did not hear the engine and was unsure if the propeller was turning.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data showed the airplane departed and entered a left traffic pattern for runway 18. On downwind abeam the runway threshold, it began descending. On short final at about 30 ft above ground level, it veered slightly left and climbed. The last ADS-B point was at 50 ft agl, about 130 ft from the accident site.
Aircraft Information
Maintenance logbooks were unavailable. The owner reported an annual inspection within the last year and the engine had about 350 hours since overhaul.
Meteorological Information
One witness checked weather just before the accident: wind from the east at about 15 mph, gusting. The airport manager reported gusts of 20 to 22 knots near the time of the accident.
Surface observations just before the accident recorded wind from the south at 12 knots gusting to 17 knots, providing an approximate 11-knot headwind and 5-knot crosswind for runway 18.
Synoptic conditions showed no frontal boundaries or large-scale wind shifts; radar indicated no convective wind shear. A weather model sounding depicted southerly wind and a dry conditional unstable atmosphere supporting thermals through about 5,000 ft, with likely associated turbulence and downdrafts. An active AIRMET Tango for occasional moderate turbulence covered the area, and a pilot report indicated light turbulence at low levels likely due to thermals.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright in a residential yard. Both wings exhibited tree impact marks and ground impact damage. Substantial damage occurred to both wings, fuselage, and empennage.
At the NTSB’s request, a local mechanic examined the airplane and found the fuel sector valve working properly with fuel available in the system. Before a thorough examination, the wreckage was sold for salvage and scrap; flight control continuity was not confirmed.
The airplane carried two electronic devices with non-volatile memory: a JPI Fuel Scan FS-450 and an Insight graphic engine monitor GEM 610. The JPI FS-450 displayed fuel information dependent on user programming. When powered on, it showed the last record of fuel used as 0.9 gallons and fuel remaining as 52.1 gallons.
The Insight GEM 610 recorded engine parameters. Data showed exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) and cylinder head temperatures (CHT) decreased toward the end of the flight, corresponding to the downwind leg. In the last 12 seconds, EGTs began to increase.