- Date
- December 16, 2011, 15:05 local (22:05 UTC)
- Place
- Cheyenne, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8281DBeech J35
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 8, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20111216028869A
- Case key
- 82531
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 inadequate compensation for the crosswind, which resulted in a loss of directional control.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was landing with a 40-degree crosswind. During the flare, about five feet above ground level, the airplane veered to the right. The pilot said that he thought he could control the veer on the ground, but the airplane veered off the runway, down an embankment, and collided with a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was performing a normal landing to runway 27. During the landing flare, the airplane veered to the right, proceeded off the edge of the runway, down a grass slope, and into the airport boundary chain link fence. Airport weather observations recorded at the time of the accident were winds 230 at 10 knots, and clear sky. The airplane had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8281D
- Reported as
- Beech J35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-5402
- Airframe hours
- 6,972
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Becker Lawrence D
- Registered owner
- Becker Lawrence D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 7, 2011
- Departed
- KYKM · Yakima, WA
- Destination
- KCYS · Cheyenne, WY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KCYS · Cheyenne Regional, runway 27, 9,270 × 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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 14, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 27 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KCYS
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 5, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.