Beechcraft J35 N8343D
11 February 1998 · Morgan Hill, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 11 February 1998 at about 23:25 local time, a Beechcraft J35 registered N8343D was involved in an accident near Morgan Hill, California, United States. 5 people were on board and one 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 23:25
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Morgan Hill, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.1710, -121.6493
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft J35
- Registration
- N8343D
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Jose → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98FA086
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain visual separation from the flight of military helicopters approaching from his left. The pilot's failure to request VFR traffic advisories, to maintain an adequate visual lookout, an erratic transponder, and glare from the sun were factors.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A flight of two military helicopters was on a northerly heading while N8343D was on a converging northwesterly heading at the same altitude. There were no indications that the occupants of either aircraft saw each other prior to colliding in midair. The crew of the second helicopter saw the airplane approaching, but did not have time to radio a warning. After the collision, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent. The helicopter pilot made a precautionary, run-on landing, and made an emergency shutdown. The 5 feet 2 inch airplane pilot used a pillow, placed on the seat bottom to increase his seated height. The seat did not have a vertical adjustment. The sun was in the southwest quadrant, with scattered clouds and 20 miles visibility. The top and bottom rotating beacons, as well as landing lights of both helicopters were illuminated. The helicopter pilot was flight following, but had not received any conflicting traffic advisories. The airplane pilot was not communicating with ATC. The transponder in the airplane was squawking 1200 but the altitude was reported as erratic and unreliable. The unreliable altitude returns from the airplane disabled the automatic intruder program. The controller did not see the airplane as a primary target because he was busy handling other traffic.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft J35 J35 | N8343D | - | Destroyed |
| Boeing CH-47D CH-47D | ARNG | - | Substantial |
Other Beechcraft J35 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 1997 | Beechcraft J35 | Pittstown, New Jersey, United States | Edwin H. Johnson | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 1999 | Beechcraft J35 | Marysville, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1997 | Beechcraft J35 | Morristown, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 1997 | Beechcraft J35 | Provo, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Apr 1999 | Beechcraft J35 | Bass, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Aug 1995 | Beechcraft J35 | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Candice A. Stewart | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1998 | Cessna 152 | Avalon, California, United States | Orange County Flight Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Grumman TS-2A | Banning, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Aug 1998 | North American NAVION | Salinas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B | Salinas, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Robinson R22B | Ramona, California, United States | Civic Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1998 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Porterville, California, United States | U.s. Dept. of the Interior | No injuries | - |