Beechcraft 35 N3342V
18 January 1992 · Nucla, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 January 1992 at about 20:45 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N3342V, operated by Richards, James D., was involved in an accident near Nucla, Colorado, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Nucla, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.2599, -108.5500
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 35
- Registration
- N3342V
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Richards, James D.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Nucla → Englewood
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN92FA028
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
IMPROPER STATIC BALANCE OF THE RUDDERVATORS FOLLOWING REBUILDING/REPAINTING, WHICH RESULTED IN EMPENNAGE FLUTTER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
FLUTTER OF THE EMPENNAGE OCCURRED DURING A CRUISE-DESCENT IN SMOOTH AIR. THIS RESULTED IN CRACKS IN ALL 4 CORNERS OF THE AFT FUSELAGE BULKHEAD AND WRINKLING OF THE FUSELAGE SKIN IN THE AREA OF THE RUDDERVATOR ATTACHMENT POINTS. THE LEFT RUDDERVATOR HAD BEEN INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE DURING AN ANNUAL INSPECTION SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, AFTER IT WAS REMOVED TO HAVE NEW SKIN INSTALLED. THE SURFACE WAS REPAINTED, AND THE PAINT THICKNESS EXCEEDED THE MANUFACTURER'S FACTORY ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA. POST-ACCIDENT TESTING DISCLOSED THE STATIC BALANCE OF BOTH RUDDERVATORS TO BE EXCESSIVELY TAIL HEAVY. NO LEAD BALANCING WASHERS WERE FOUND IN EITHER RUDDERVATOR COUNTERWEIGHT HOUSING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 35 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 1992 | Beechcraft 35 | New Manchester, West Virginia, United States | Mike Hansen | Fatal | 3 |
| 26 Apr 1992 | Beechcraft 35 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Donald J. and Joan Williams | Fatal | 3 |
| 31 May 1992 | Beechcraft 35-C33 | Lake City, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Aug 1992 | Beechcraft 35 | Missing, Alaska, United States | Roth, Frank | Fatal | 2 |
| 9 Dec 1992 | Beechcraft 35-33 | Riverton, Utah, United States | Porter, Howard K. | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Sep 1992 | Beechcraft 35-A33 | Caledonia, Michigan, United States | Lawrence J. Dehaan | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Apr 1992 | Cessna 310-L | Hugo, Colorado, United States | Bell, Anthony H. | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1992 | Boeing 757-222 | Denver, Colorado, United States | United Airlines | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Jul 1992 | Piper PA-34-200T | Lamar, Colorado, United States | Lyddon Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 1992 | Embraer EMB-120 RT | Denver, Colorado, United States | Mesa Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jan 1992 | Cessna 152 | Falcon, Colorado, United States | Patrick Clayton | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 1992 | Cessna 172P | Englewood, Colorado, United States | P.c. Flyers, Inc. | No injuries | - |