# Accident 20180914013559A: Gruber Robert F BEELZABUB, Rochester, WA, September 14, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 14, 2018, 11:15 local time
- Place: Rochester, WA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 46.7133° N, 122.9464° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.7133&lon=-122.9464&mi=10
- Aircraft: N382T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N382T-2019-09-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Gruber Robert F BEELZABUB (registry code 056075S, https://openairdocs.org/model/gruber-robert-f-beelzabub) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: GRUBER ROBERT F BEELZABUB
- Reported engine: AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR18FA261](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18FA261) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180914013559A

## Narrative

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

ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2018, AT APPROXIMATELY 1115HRS AN AMATEUR BUILT EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT N382T S/N 001 WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.  ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESSES ON THE GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN OVER A SITE WHERE THEY WERE CONDUCTING LOGGING OPERATIONS, AND HAD CIRCLED BACK AROUND FOR A SECOND FLY OVER.  AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE SITE, WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING AT A LOW ALTITUDE AND AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND IT APPEARED THAT THE PILOT WAS WAVING THE WINGS, WHEN THE LEFT WING STRUCK A TREE. THE AIRCRAFT?S FLIGHT PATH CONTINUED DOWNWARD THROUGH A STAND OF TREES LEAVING A DEBRIS FIELD OF APPROXIMATELY 485 FT. AND CAME TO REST ON THE FOREST FLOOR RESULTING IN FATAL INJURIES OF THE PILOT AND PASSENGER.  BASED ON OUR INVESTIGATION AND EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS, IT APPEARS THAT THE PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRCRAFT AT AN UNSAFE ALTITUDE.

## 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 WPR18FA261](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18FA261), Sep 14, 2018: Gruber Beelzabub (N382T), Rochester, WA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a tree while maneuvering at a low altitude.

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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