- Date
- October 10, 1996, 19:30 local (Oct 11, 1996, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bellville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N179DPBeech BE-55B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961010036839A
- Case key
- 20090
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 airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall. Factors were the dark night conditions and the pilot's failure to lower the flaps.
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 dark night approach was executed to the 2,500-foot runway which had trees and transmission lines at the approach path. The pilot stated that the approach was made with the flaps retracted and 'during the landing flare/touchdown, the airplane stalled from about 10 to 12 feet above the ground, the left wing struck the ground, the left main gear collapsed and the airplane departed the runway.'
Factual narrative
On October 10, 1996, at 1930 central daylight time, a Beech BE-55B, N179DP, registered to and operated by a private owner, sustained substantial damage during the landing near Bellville, Texas. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 cross country flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The personal flight originated at 1850 near Hearne, Texas.
During a telephone interview, conducted by the investigator-in-charge, and on the Pilot/Operator Report, the pilot reported the following information. A dark night approach was executed to runway 15 (2,500 feet in length with a 2-3 degree upslope) at the Grawunder Airport. Trees and transmission lines are at the approach path and the approach was made with the flaps retracted. The pilot stated that "during the landing flare/touchdown, the airplane stalled from about 10 to 12 feet above the ground, the left wing struck the ground, the left main gear collapsed and the airplane departed the runway." Both wings and propellers and the right engine mounts and firewall sustained structural damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N179DP
- Reported as
- Beech BE-55B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC-852
- Airframe hours
- 6,112
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-L, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Welton E. Hill
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- T72 · Hearne, TX
- Destination
- 06R
- Airport
- 06R · Grawunder Ariport, runway 15, 2,500 × 50 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 186 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.