Beechcraft 35 N3121V
26 April 1992 · Reno, Nevada, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 26 April 1992 at about 00:29 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N3121V, operated by Donald J. and Joan Williams, was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:29
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Reno, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- Reno Cannon International (RNO)
- Coordinates
- 39.5194, -119.8095
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 35
- Registration
- N3121V
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Donald J. and Joan Williams
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Carson City → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX92FA188
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S POORLY PLANNED APPROACH TO COMPENSATE FOR THE EXISTING WIND CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT CONTACTED APPROACH CONTROL AT 1720 WITH INFORMATION 'NOVEMBER' FOR RADAR SERVICE TO HIS DESTINATION. ATIS 'NOVEMBER' HAD BEEN RECORDED AT 1650 AND REPORTED THE WINDS AS 210 DEG AT 8 KTS. AT 1724, THE PILOT WAS TOLD TO CONTACT THE TOWER. AT 1725, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 16 RIGHT. WITNESSES REPORTED THE PILOT MADE A CONSTANT TURN FROM DOWNWIND TO FINAL. THE AIRPLANE OVERSHOT FINAL AND APPEARED TO STEEPEN ITS BANK. THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN ACCELERATED STALL FROM A LOW ALTITUDE ON THE TURN TO FINAL, AND FELL TO THE GROUND NOSE FIRST. THE PILOT'S LAST COMMUNICATION WITH THE TOWER RECORDED AT 1728:58 WAS WHEN HE SAID 'TWO ONE VICTOR'S.' THAT IS ABOUT THE TIME THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED FALLING TO THE GROUND. A WEATHER OBSERVATION TAKEN AT 1731 REPORTED WINDS FROM 290 DEG AT 13 KTS. WITH WINDS FROM THAT DIRECTION, THE PILOT HAD A LEFT QUARTERING TAIL WIND ON BASE AND A RIGHT QUARTERING TAIL WIND ON FINAL.
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 |
| 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 | - |
| 18 Jan 1992 | Beechcraft 35 | Nucla, Colorado, United States | Richards, James D. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 1992 | Bell 206BIII | Glenbrook, Nevada, United States | Smith Helicopter, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 1992 | Cessna 172P | Reno, Nevada, United States | Reno Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1992 | Piper PA-32-300 | Austin, Nevada, United States | Galen M. Reimer | No injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 1992 | Piper PA-22-150 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Nelson, Kevin | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 1992 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Pahrump, Nevada, United States | Woods, Elwood | Fatal | 1 |
| 19 Apr 1992 | Cessna 150 | Mesquite, Nevada, United States | Roberti, Michael | No injuries | - |