- Date
- May 30, 1983, 18:50 local (May 31, 1983, 01:50 UTC)
- Place
- Antioch, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N391BBeech H35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830530021439A
- Case key
- 23457
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
The acft collided with the ground in a nose low attitude during flt in the traffic pattern to land. Witnesses described the pattern as being close in, slow and low compared to normal traffic. The attitude of the acft was described as nose high. As the acft turned to final approach the left wing dropped and the acft went into a steep nose down descent. The acft struck the ground at a nose low angle of 27 degrees and came to rest. No ground scars were found beyond the initialpoint of contact. The lower fuselage dug about 16 inches into the ground. No problems were found in the examination of the acft. The plts training was unusual. His first 31 hours of 'dual' are unsigned and a witness said the instruction was given by a private plt. The remainder of his 46 hours of instruction came from 2 different instructor, about 11 hours from one and about 4 hours from the other.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N391B
- Reported as
- Beech H35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D5218
- Airframe hours
- 4,310
- Engine
- Continental O-470-G, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Larry R. Ferdig
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1982 · 202 hours before
- Departed
- APC · Napa, CA
- Destination
- 012 · Antioch, CA
- Airport
- 012 · Antioch, runway 27, 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 138 total · 138 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CCR, 13 nm away
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 N391B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.