- Date
- October 25, 1987, 19:27 local (Oct 26, 1987, 01:27 UTC)
- Place
- Mitchell, SD
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1257EBeech A-36
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871025060739A
- Case key
- 17339
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 acft had been cleared for the VOR approach at Mitchell municipal arpt at approx 1915 CST. The acft collided with the ground in a slight nose down attitude about 12 miles northwest of the arpt at the point where the procedure turn intersected the inbound course. It was a dark night with little surface illumination and IMC existed at the time of the accident. The investigation disclosed no evidence of airframe, eng, or system malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1257E
- Reported as
- Beech A-36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-623
- Airframe hours
- 2,406
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Timothy J. Roethlesberger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 4, 1987 · 143 hours before
- Departed
- 77D · Big Rapids, MI
- Destination
- MHE · Mitchell, SD
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MHE · Mitchell Municipal, runway 12, 6,704 × 150 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 642 total · 40 in this make and model · 567 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MHE, 12 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.