- Date
- April 25, 1992, 17:29 local (Apr 26, 1992, 00:29 UTC)
- Place
- Reno, NV
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3121VBeech 35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920425011059A
- Case key
- 27423
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 poorly planned approach to compensate for the existing wind conditions, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed.
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 pilot contacted approach control at 1720 with information 'november' for radar service to his destination. ATIS 'november' had been recorded at 1650 and reported the winds as 210 deg at 8 KTS. At 1724, the pilot was told to contact the tower. At 1725, the pilot was cleared to land on runway 16 right. Witnesses reported the pilot made a constant turn from downwind to final. The airplane overshot final and appeared to steepen its bank. The airplane entered an accelerated stall from a low altitude on the turn to final, and fell to the ground nose first. The pilot's last communication with the tower recorded at 1728:58 was when he said 'two one victor's.' that is about the time the airplane was observed falling to the ground. A weather observation taken at 1731 reported winds from 290 deg at 13 KTS. With winds from that direction, the pilot had a left quartering tail wind on base and a right quartering tail wind on final.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3121V
- Reported as
- Beech 35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D545
- Airframe hours
- 4,094
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald J. And Joan Williams
- Registered owner
- Donald J. And Joan Williams
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1991 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- O04 · Carson City, NV
- Airport
- RNO · Reno Cannon International, runway 16R, 10,002 × 150 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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 971 total · 200 in this make and model · 772 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO, 1 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.