Beechcraft D18S N44609

Summary

On 6 December 1983 at about 02:10 local time, a Beechcraft D18S registered N44609 was involved in an accident near Brownsville, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

6 December 1983 at 02:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Brownsville, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Brownsville Int'l (BRO)

Coordinates

25.9192, -97.4797

Aircraft

Beechcraft D18S

Registration

N44609

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Torreon

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW84FA086

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT HAD JUST TAKEN OFF AT NIGHT ON A FLT TO MEXICO WHEN HE DECLARED AN INTENT TO RETURN & LAND WITH SOME UNSPECIFIED EMERGENCY. WHILE HE WAS USING HIS RADIO, THE SOUND OF BOTH ENGS, RUNNING AT HI POWER, WAS AUDIBLE. WHEN ASKED IF HE REQUIRED ASSISTANCE, HE GAVE AN AFFIRMATIVE REPLY, BUT WHEN ASKED IF HE REQUIRED A CRASH CREW, HE GAVE A NEGATIVE REPLY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE RWY, THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND & WAS DEMOLISHED BY FIRE. IMPACT WITH THE POWER LINES OCCURRED AT ABOUT 55 FT AGL. A WIRE IMPACT MARK ON THE NOSE DOOR INDICATED THE ACFT WAS IN A VERTICAL BANK WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE; HOWEVER, THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM FIRE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT WAS LOADED BEYOND ITS MAX CERTIFICATED GROSS WT. THE PLT HAD A TEMPORARY U.S. LICENSE BASED ON HIS CANADIAN LICENSE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.