What happened
On the afternoon of 29 July 2019, a Beechcraft Bonanza V35B, registered N3804X, departed Wittman Regional Airport in Wisconsin, United States. The pilot was conducting a daytime visual flight rules (VFR) flight intended for Danbury Municipal Airport, Connecticut. Shortly after the departure, the aircraft began drifting north of its intended flight path, eventually crossing into Canadian airspace.
While navigating through an area characterized by thunderstorms, lightning, and rain showers, the aircraft entered a right turn and experienced a rapid descent. The aircraft subsequently struck terrain approximately 7 nautical miles northeast of Senneterre, Quebec. Following the incident, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario, launched search and rescue efforts after being notified of the missing aircraft later that evening.
Search teams located the wreckage four days later, on 02 August 2019. The impact resulted in one fatality, as the pilot was killed in the crash. The aircraft was completely destroyed, though investigators noted there was no fire following the impact. Additionally, the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter failed to emit a signal.
The investigation
Investigators focused on the flight path deviation and the environmental conditions present at the time of the accident. The investigation established that the aircraft had moved significantly off-course from its planned route toward Connecticut before entering Quebec airspace. The presence of convective weather, including rain showers and thunderstorms, was a key factor in the aircraft's final moments near Senneterre.