# Accident 20010804026359A: Beech E55, Rensslaer, IN, August 4, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 4, 2001, 15:35 local time
- Place: Rensslaer, IN
- Airport: Jasper County Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.9292° N, 87.1402° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9292&lon=-87.1402&mi=10
- Aircraft: N30WS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N30WS-2002-02-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech E-55 (registry code 1152732, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-e-55) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH E55
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI01FA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI01FA256) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010804026359A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON AUGUST 4, 2001, A BEECHCRAFT BARON MODEL BE-E55, N30WS WITH TWO OCCUPANTS ON BOARD, WAS DESTROYED UPON IMPACT IN A BEAN FIELD SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF RENSSELAER, IN. WITNESS STATEMENTS RECEIVED BY THE JASPER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT MADE A LOW PASS OVER AN ABOVE GROUND SWIMMING POOL AND HIT THE TOP OF AN ADJACENT BARN APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET FROM THE SWIMMING POOL WHERE FAMILY MEMBERS HAD CONGREGATED. ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT, THE HOUSE AND BARN ARE OWNED BY THE BROTHER OF THE PILOT. THE WITNESS WAS A FAMILY MEMBER IN THE SWIMMING POOL WHO REPORTED THAT SHE SAW THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE BARN THEN LATER HEARD AN EXPLOSION. THE AIRCRAFT SCATTERED DEBRIS BELOW THE BARN AND OUT ONTO THE FRONT YARD OF THE HOME COMING TO A STOP APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT. BOTH PILOT AND PASSENGER RECEIVED SERIOUS BURNS. ON AUGUST 5, 2001 THE PASSENGER DIED. THE PILOT DIED ONE MONTH LATER ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2001. (.19) ON AUGUST 4, 2001, AT 1535 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH BE-E55, N30WS, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE NEAR RENSSELAER, INDIANA. THE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED THE JASPER COUNTY AIRPORT (RZ                  L), RENSSELAER, INDIANA, AT 1530, AND WAS EN ROUTE TO COLLIERVILLE, TENNESSEE. THE AIRPLANE MADE A LOW PASS OVER A FARMSTEAD WHEN THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TOP OF A BARN. THE AIRPLANE TRAVELED ABOUT 700 FEET BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND IN A BEAN FIELD. THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 100 FEET AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER SURVIVED THE INITIAL IMPACT AND FIRE. THE PASSENGER WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD ABOUT 22 HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI01FA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI01FA256), Aug 4, 2001: Beech E55 (N30WS), Rensselaer, IN, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's ostentatious display when he buzzed the farmstead and did not maintain clearance from the barn.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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