- Date
- July 31, 2013, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- New Bedford, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N58DLBeech 58
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 12, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130731013699A
- Case key
- 87702
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 decision to land in the displaced threshold, resulting in a collision with the approach lighting system.
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
According to the pilot, he was completing a short cross-country flight and planned a practice short field landing at the destination airport. He landed on his planned touchdown point, but did not take the height of the runway threshold lights into consideration. During the final approach, the airplane struck the approach lighting system at the 400 and 600-foot positions from the runway end. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the airplane and confirmed substantial damage to the lower surface of the fuselage, including both wing bulkheads. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The runway had a 413-foot-long displaced threshold and the touchdown occurred near the front edge of the threshold.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was completing a short cross-country flight and planned a practice short field landing at the destination airport. He landed on his planned touchdown point, but did not take the height of the runway threshold lights into consideration. During the final approach, the airplane struck the approach lighting system at the 400 and 600-foot positions from the runway end. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the airplane and confirmed substantial damage to the lower surface of the fuselage, including both wing bulkheads. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The runway had a 413-foot-long displaced threshold and the touchdown occurred near the front edge of the threshold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58DL
- Reported as
- Beech 58
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TH-692
- Airframe hours
- 6,672
- Engines
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocatingCont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Randolph Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Randolph Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 12, 2013 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- MVY · Vineyard Haven, MA
- Destination
- EWB · New Bedford, MA
- Airport
- EWB · New Bedford Regional, runway 23, 4,997 × 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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 19, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,394 total · 3,147 in this make and model · 5,254 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- EWB, 1 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 28, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.1 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.