- Date
- April 4, 1982, 08:26 local (13:26 UTC)
- Place
- Louisville, KY
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8854ABeech B35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 4, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820404007649A
- Case key
- 71494
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft crashed on approach during an attempted emergency landing. The aircraft had just departed and was returningbecause of smoke in the cockpit. The smoke was caused by an electrical short and arcing of wiring in the system. The loose wiring and worn insulation were the result of years of neglect in maintenance. The crew's lack of proper emergencyevacuation was result of no established procedures and poor judgement reaction. The right seat pilot was still turning to land when aircraft descended rapidly and left wing contacted runway first then the nose. All landing gear collapsed as the aircraft spun around, slid and caught fire as it stopped sliding.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8854A
- Reported as
- Beech B35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-2509
- Airframe hours
- 6,279
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Gruhl Corporation
- Registered owner
- Gruhl Corporation
- Departed
- LOU · Louisville, KY
- Destination
- Dayton, OH
- Airport
- LOU · Bowman Field, runway 6, 4,312 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Invalid Medical for flight
- Flight hours
- 500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 100 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LOU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.