- Date
- October 30, 1993, 12:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- Billings, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N575BBeech A-35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931030041179A
- Case key
- 41846
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 directional control during the go-around. Factors include proper airspeed not being maintained, and gusty crosswinds.
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
While attempting to land in gusty crosswinds, the pilot allowed the airspeed to become low, and the aircraft landed hard and bounced back into the air. When the aircraft bounced a second time, the pilot elected to execute a go-around. During the go- around, the pilot lost directional control and impacted the terrain.
Factual narrative
On October 30, 1993, at 1250 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Beechcraft A-35, N575B, impacted the terrain during an attempted go-around (VFR) at Billings Logan International Airport, Billings, Montana. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, was not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which had departed Columbus Airport, Columbus, Montana, at about 1220 MDT, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, he was attempting to land in a gusty 60 degree crosswind of about 20 knots. While on short final, the aircraft became low on airspeed, landed hard, and bounced back into the air. The aircraft touched down again, and bounced back into the air a second time. At that point, the pilot elected to execute a go-around. During this attempt, he lost directional control of the aircraft, and it impacted the terrain near the side of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N575B
- Reported as
- Beech A-35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D1594
- Airframe hours
- 5,100
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Morledge, Charles C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 17, 1993 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- 6S3 · Columbus, MT
- Airport
- BIL · Logan International, runway 28R, 10,528 × 150 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
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 530 total · 157 in this make and model · 80 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BIL, 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.
Other investigations on N575B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.