- Date
- June 30, 1994, 13:58 local (17:58 UTC)
- Place
- Ionia, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6966QBeech 19
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940630018779A
- Case key
- 9579
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's improper use of the throttle control. A factor related to the accident was the improper flare.
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 pilot stated the airplane bounced during touchdown. He advanced the throttle to go-around; however, the engine did not respond. The airplane impacted the runway and bounced again. The left main gear and the nose gear collapsed. Post accident inspection revealed normal operation of the engine during a test run.
Factual narrative
On June 30, 1994, at 1358 eastern daylight time (edt), a Beech BE-19, N6966Q, registered to Lowell E. Swift, collided with runway 27 (3,700 x 75') while landing at the Ionia County Airport, Ionia, Michigan, during on a solo instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 30, 1994, at 1330 edt.
The pilot reported that during the landing flare, the airplane ballooned so he decided to initiate a go-around. He reported that the engine did not respond when he pushed the throttle in. He stated he closed the throttle, removed the carburetor heat, and slowly advanced power twice still without any response from the engine. The airplane contacted the runway and bounced. On the second impact, the left main gear and nose gear collapsed.
The airplane was inspected by a Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) from the Grand Rapids Flight Standards District Office. The PMI was able to perform a test run of the engine. He stated the engine "ran and accelerated normally" during the test and no other failures/malfunctions were found which would have resulted in the lack of engine response.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6966Q
- Reported as
- Beech 19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MB313
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lowell E. Swift
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
- Departed
- GRR · Grand Rapids, MI
- Airport
- Y70 · Ionia County, runway 27, 3,700 × 75 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
- 54
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 59 total · 59 in this make and model · 29 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR, 24 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.