# NTSB CHI94FA212: Beech A35, N3042V, Lakeville, MN, June 28, 1994 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: June 27, 1994, 19:33 local (Jun 28, 1994, 00:33 UTC) - Place: Lakeville, MN - Coordinates: 44.670429, -93.240516 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.6704&lon=-93.2405&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 3 fatal - Status: Completed, report February 24, 1995 - Report: Approved by Office Director - ADs cited in the narratives: AD 57-18-01 (OpenAirDocs) - NTSB case key (mKey): 9381 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI94FA212 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/9381/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI94FA212 ## Probable cause THE JAMMING OF THE ELEVATOR CONTROL WHICH RESULTED IN THE PILOT'S INABILITY TO CONTROL THE PITCH ATTITUDE OF THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED A STALL-SPIN AND IMPACTED LEVEL TERRAIN IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, takeoff - initial climb - flt control syst,elevator control cable/rod - jammed (cause) - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - aircraft control - not possible, pilot in command (cause) - stall/spin - encountered (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - crop ## Analysis THE AIRPLANE WAS DEPARTING WITH 3 OCCUPANTS ON A FISHING TRIP. THE AIRPLANE HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN FOR 8 MONTHS, AND NO RECORD COULD BE FOUND OF IT HAVING FLOWN MORE THAN TWICE DURING THE 3 MONTH PERIOD PRIOR TO THAT. NUMEROUS WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE AIRPLANE ASSUMING A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF, AND ENTERING A STALL/SPIN FROM LESS THAN 200 FEET AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED HEADING 180 DEGREES FROM THE DIRECTION OF TAKEOFF AND BURNED. AN ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLE WAS FOUND MISROUTED, WITH INDICATIONS OF SNAGGING ON A CABLE GUIDE. THE LOCKING OF THE ELEVATORS COULD BE DUPLICATED PREVENTING NOSE DOWN INPUT BEYOND NEUTRAL. NO OTHER DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 27, 1994, at 1933 central daylight time, a Beech A-35 V-tail Bonanza, N3042V, owned and operated by Paul D. Johnson of New Prague, Minnesota, impacted level terrain at the departure end of runway 29 during takeoff from Airlake Airport, Lakeville, Minnesota. The airline transport certificated pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight to Two Harbors Municipal Airport, Two Harbors, Minnesota, for a fishing trip. Witnesses reported that the airplane became airborne, pitched nose down, rolled left, impacted at a steep angle, and was consumed by fire. One witness reported that the airplane became airborne and "adopted an unusually nose high attitude. The aircraft climbed to approximately 200 feet...with the pitch attitude remaining high...the nose pitched higher, and the aircraft rolled sharply to the left with the nose pitching rapidly down...The aircraft hit the ground after +/- 180 degrees turn and the nose pitched almost vertically down (+/- 80 degrees)." A second witness described a 5-10 degree nose up attitude, a stall, a 75-80 degree left bank, a 200 degree left yaw, and an 80 degree nose down impact. A third witness stated "The plane appeared to be nose high, slow, mushing through the air on the verge of a stall...the planes' nose suddenly pitched down and the plan spun to the left." PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with priveledges for multi and single engine airplanes. He also held flight engineer certificate (turbojet) number 2215721. He was employed as a DC-9 captain for a major airline, and had approximately 16,766 hours of total flight time. His total flight time in the accident airplane is unknown. He had flown it 46 hours between March 2, 1990 and July 7, 1993. Only 2 flights, of approximately 2 hours total could be determined since July 7, 1993. The pilots' wife stated she did not believe he flew any other single engine airplanes. The pilot held a current Class 1 medical certificate, with the limitation of "must wear corrective lenses." The estimated weight of the pilot was 195 pounds, and 190 pounds for each passenger. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was a Beechcraft Model 35 V-Tail Bonanza, serial number D-451. The airplane had 3768.2 total hours at the last annual inspection on July 7, 1993. The engine was a Continental model E-185, with a total time unknown, and 1186 hours since the last overhaul on July 7, 1993. The airplane was equipped with a "Federal F-200" autopilot, installed per STC SA1-55. The date of installation is unknown. The front seats were fixed, not on movable tracks, and unable to slide aft with forward acceleration. The amount of flight time between the last annual inspection and the accident could not be determined. The last record of the aircraft having flown was from October 30, 1993. Two fuel slips were on file at Flyteline Services, Inc., at Airlake Airport which shows the airplane receiving 14.1 gallons of 100LL fuel, and then 7.3 gallons of 100LL fuel, both on October 30, 1993. The pilots' wife stated she believed his last flight in the accident airplane was around September or October, 1993. The line person who fueled the airplane on June 27, 1994, while the airplane was being loaded prior to the accident flight, stated that the pilot did not know that the fuel truck had been inoperative for over a year and "I assumed this meant he hadn't flown, or at least bought gas from us in awhile." He also stated "The plane had a lot of dust on it and the bugs were hard to get off...like they had been there for a long time." 15.6 gallons of 100LL gasoline was placed in the airplane. It was reported that the pilot had pulled the airplane out of its hangar approximately 1 week prior to the accident and operated the engine on the ground, but did not taxi or fly the airplane. It was described as being returned to the hangar after the ground run. A review of the airplane maintenance logs revealed no outstanding Airworthiness Directives (AD), nor any recent maintenance. No specific maintenance activity could be identified which took place within the empennage or in the vicinity of the elevator control cables or the autopilot package. The last recorded activity regarding the empennage was on July 7, 1993, at tachometer time 776.2, airframe total time 3768.2. The hours flown since the annual inspection are unknown. At this time AD number 57-18-01 (Aft Fuselage Bulkhead inspection) was complied with. During this same annual inspection, 100 hour inspections for AD numbers 76-05-04 (Stabilizer Attach Fittings inspection), and 89-05-02 (Ruddervator Control Arms inspection) were also accomplished. The maintenance logs indicated that between March 2, 1990, and August, 1991, the airplane was flown 35 hours. Between August 1991, and July 7, 1993, the airplane was flown 11.2 hours. METEOROLOGICAL The weather was clear, with winds from 260 degrees magnetic at 5 knots. The pilot had received three weather briefs from the Princeton Flight Service Station (PNM AFSS) throughout the day, which indicated thunderstorms along his route of flight and at his destination. His original departure was scheduled for earlier in the day, but his discussions with PNM AFSS indicated he had delayed to allowed the weather to improve. AERODROME INFORMATION The airplane departed runway 29 which measured 4,098 feet long and 75 feet wide. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane came to rest upright, with its nose pointed 070 degrees magnetic (opposite the direction of takeoff). The terrain was a flat, planted corn field. A ground scar existed which was 24 feet 8 inches long, with red glass and blue paint chips at the end pointed 035 degrees and a gouge at the end pointed 215 degrees where a piece of the spinner and 1 prop blade were embedded. The red glass was 214 feet on a bearing of 190 degrees magnetic from the south edge of runway 29, directly abeam the departure end. The engine remained attached to the airplane, and was located 15 feet on a heading of 260 degrees from the ground scar containing the separated prop blade. No other ground scars were visible. The front spar remained intact. The right wing was canted ahead of its normal position and the left wing aft of its normal position with respect to the fuselage by approximately 15 edgrees. Both wing leading edges exhibited chordwise crushing. The left wing exhibited damage along its entire length, and the outboard half was deformed aft almost 90 degrees. The inboard 1/3 of the right wing exhibited heat discoloration, but was not completely burned. The inboard 1/3 of the left wing, and left wing fuel tank were consumed by fire. There was molten, puddled aluminum below the left tank area. The left fuel tank outlet screen could not be located. Both wing tanks were ruptured and open to the environment. Fluid was found inside the tank cavities, which did not smell like gasoline. The empennage was intact, and exhibited very little thermal damage or paint blistering aft of the wing trailing edges. The ruddervators and stabilizers displayed no impact damage. The empennage exhibited a crease which extended from the mid-waterline on both sides across the top of the fuselage, located at the midpoint between frame 444 and 448, just forward of the cross-member which provides support for the ruddervator assembly. The frames at 444 and 448 were deformed toward the right. The center section of the airplane, and entire cabin was consumed by fire. An automotive battery and 2 license plates were located in the left rear seat position. Both propeller blades exhibited bending toward the cambered side from midspan outboard, and chordwise scratching. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3042V](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3042V-1994-12-16), registration cancelled 1994-12-16, S/N D451 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH A35 - Registry model: [Beech 35](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-35) (registry code 1151502) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: D451 - Engines: CONTINENTAL E-185 185 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Paul Douglas Johnson - Registered owner: Paul Douglas Johnson - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, July 7, 1993 - Destination: TWM, TWO HARBORS, MN - Airport: Y12, Airlake Airport, runway 29, 4,098 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; commercial, flight engineer, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 16,766 total, 225 in the last 90 days, 75 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 260° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: Y12 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19940627017069A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940627017069A), Jun 27, 1994: Beech 35BEECH, Lakeville, MN, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Stall spin accident. Airline capital not current in single engine light aircraft. ## Other investigations on N3042V (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 OAK67D0002](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/OAK67D0002), May 29, 1966: Beech 35 (N3042V), Fresno, CA, substantial damage 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.