- Date
- July 9, 2011, 08:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Geneseo, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3344ABeech N35
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110709014489A
- Case key
- 81051
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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The accident flight was part of a two-airplane formation flight to an airshow. The pilot reported that while on short final approach, he lost sight of the lead airplane. He sidestepped about 20 feet above the ground to regain sight of the lead airplane, but the airplane stalled. He said he added power to recover, but it was too late. The left wing tip struck the ground, the airplane landed hard and slid for another 100 yards resulting in substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not disclose any evidence of a mechanical malfunction.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he and his friend had pre-arranged a formation flight to attend an air show. He stated that he performed formation flying frequently. While on short final to the runway, he lost sight of the lead airplane in the formation and veered left in an effort to regain visual contact. While sidestepping approximately 20 feet above the ground he stalled the airplane and applied full power to recover. The left wing tip contacted the ground and the airplane landed hard and skidded for about 100 yards. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration inspected the airplane and reported structural damage to the left wing and the engine was significantly damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3344A
- Reported as
- Beech N35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-6733
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BQR · Lancaster, NY
- Destination
- D52 · Geneseo, NY
- Airport
- D52 · Geneseo Airport, runway 23, 4,695 × 90 ft, grass/turf
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
- 69
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,400 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- DSV, 15 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 9, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.