# NTSB ERA22LA349: Beech 35, N119ED, Wauchula, FL, August 1, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: August 1, 2022, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC) - Place: Wauchula, FL - Coordinates: 27.514795, -81.880471 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.5148&lon=-81.8805&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 105641 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA22LA349 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105641/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105641 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22LA349 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control after landing. A contributing factor was a degraded left main landing gear wheel assembly. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Beech 35, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=1151502), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Beech 35, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=1151502), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Landing gear system: main landing gear](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Damaged/degraded; cases with it: [Beech 35, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md?model=1151502), [All aircraft, 241 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300) (defining event); cases with it: [Beech 35, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=1151502), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Beech 35, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=1151502), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot had purchased the airplane as a “barn find” and reported that it had not been flown or serviced in 12 years. The accident flight was the first flight following completion of an annual inspection. While en route, the airplane sustained a total loss of electrical power, and the pilot diverted to a nearby airport. The pilot was able to lower the landing gear using the emergency landing gear extension system, and he prepared for a faster than normal landing because he was unable to lower the electrically actuated wing flaps. After touchdown, the airplane veered left, and the pilot was unable to correct. The airplane exited the runway and impacted a utility box, which collapsed the landing gear, resulting in substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the left main wheel rotated, but it was “hard to spin.” There was no evidence of any other preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. ## Factual narrative On August 1, 2022, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Beech 35, N119ED, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wauchula, Florida. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he purchased the airplane as a “barn find,” and that it had not been flown or serviced in 12 years. The accident flight was the first flight after completing the annual inspection. The pilot reported that, while en route, the radios began blinking and the airplane subsequently experienced a total loss of electrical power. He used the emergency handle to lower the landing gear and diverted to the closest airport. He prepared for a faster than normal landing because he was unable to lower the wing flaps. The airplane touched down and immediately veered to the left. He attempted to correct with right brake to no avail. The airplane exited the side of the runway and impacted a utility box, and the left main landing gear collapsed. According to the pilot, the tires were new, and the wheel bearings had been removed, cleaned, and repacked. The pilot further reported that, “due to the age of the plane and the lack of service for so many years, all of the wheel components could have used replacement.” A Federal Aviation safety inspector from the Orlando Flight Standards District Office reported that his postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. There were ground scars from the three tire tracks in the airplane’s direction of travel from the runway to the utility box. The landing gear was down and locked. The main landing gear brakes moved freely, and no bald spots were observed on the tires. He noted that the left main landing gear wheel rotated, but it was “hard to spin.” There was no evidence of any other preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N119ED](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N119ED), registered now, S/N D-1497, built 1948 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH 35 - Registry model: [Beech 35](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-35) (registry code 1151502) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental E225-8](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-e225-8) (registry code 17163, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: D-1497 - Year built: 1948 - Airframe hours: 4944 - Engines: Continental E-225-8 175 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, August 1, 2022 - Departed: X51, Homestead, FL - Destination: SPG, St Petersburg, FL - Airport: CHN, Wauchula Muni, runway 18, 4,005 × 75 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Handheld GPS, ADS-B ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 72; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine sea, single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review August 2, 2021; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 6,204 total, 62 in this make and model, 6,275 as pilot in command, 35 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 130° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 77 °F - Altimeter: 30.20 inHg - Observed at: SEF, 29 nm away - METAR: KSEF 011455Z AUTO 13007KT 10SM SCT021 SCT029 31/25 A3020 RMK AO2 T03090251 ## 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 20220801013929A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220801013929A), Aug 1, 2022: Beech 35, Wauchula, FL, Substantial damage. 08/01/2022- Beech 35,[privacy data omitted], was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Wauchula, Florida (kchn). The pilot reported the… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 6, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105641. 13.0 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 12.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15708599&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Form%206120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - FAA inspector's statement (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 123 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16585437&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20MFR-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 3, PDF, 2 pages, 123 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15708845&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Release%20of%20Wreckage%20Form_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photos (item 4, PDF, 4 pages, 163 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16750904&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photos-Rel.pdf 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.