- Date
- February 25, 1982, 22:00 local (Feb 26, 1982, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Dallas, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8517ZBeech D18S
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 25, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820225001069A
- Case key
- 70394
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
During a night, ILS approach, the plane struck a powerline about two miles short of the runway after the pilot was provided a low altitude alert. The left engine lost power and was feathered. The pilot feared possible gear damage and left it extended. Unable to maintain altitude, the plane crashed before reaching the runway. The pilot reported ice accumulating on his windshield during the descent, but stated he could see quite well through the left quarter. He stated he was flying the approach with a glide slope indication of one dot high when he leveled off with an altitude indication of about 800 ft MSL. Before crashing, the pilot replied to an ATC query that he was in contact with the ground, had the runway in sight, had ice on his windshield, and his glideslope was not working. A check of the glide slope receiver revealed it was inoperative with a one dot high indication. The altimeters were checked and showed only a 70 ft difference. Elevation of the crash site was 596 ft MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8517Z
- Reported as
- Beech D18S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- A 352
- Airframe hours
- 12,005
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 985 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Jim Billingsley
- Registered owner
- Jim Billingsley
- Departed
- Austin, TX
- Destination
- Dallas, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DFW · Dallas Airport, runway 35R, 11,388 × 200 ft, concrete
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
- 57
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 10,284 total · 240 in this make and model · 9,051 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 304° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 99 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATIS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8517Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.