- Date
- May 20, 1991, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Harrison, ID
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3842NBeech 35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910520016709A
- Case key
- 41316
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
Improper preflight planning/preparation by the pilot. The terrain condition and the pilot's lack of total experience were related factors.
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 the initial climb from a private airstrip, the airplane was unable to climb over rising/wooded terrain. Subsequently, the airplane collided with trees and crashed. The runway sloped upward toward the rising terrain; a downwind departure would have been over descending terrain and a lake. Elevation of the airport was about 2700 ft; elevation of the crash site (near the departure end of the runway) was about 3000 ft. there were no reported mechanical failures or malfunctions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3842N
- Reported as
- Beech 35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-1079
- Airframe hours
- 3,781
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas O. Thompson
- Registered owner
- Thomas O. Thompson
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1991 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Airport
- Private Strip, runway 4, 3,000 × 50 ft, dirt
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 215 total · 40 in this make and model · 154 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N3842N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.