Beechcraft N35 N1253Z

Summary

On 22 April 2000 at about 16:41 local time, a Beechcraft N35 registered N1253Z was involved in an accident near Conicville, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 April 2000 at 16:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Conicville, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.7403, -78.6300

Aircraft

Beechcraft N35

Registration

N1253Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Caro → Newport News

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC00FA119

2 people died.

The pilot's in-flight decision to continue flight into IMC conditions, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane. Factors related to the accident were the failure of the vacuum pump and the pilot's lack of recent instrument time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight at 9,000 feet, the pilot radioed air traffic control (ATC) that he experienced a gyro failure and "I do not have any artificial horizon my gyro uh I got the compass and the airspeed indicator...I uh I have to stay on top cause I haven't got my artificial horizon." The controller then observed the airplane climbing to a higher altitude and stated to the pilot, "I'm showing you at uh nine thousand eight hundred I don't have any traffic in that area if you can't hold an altitude that's fine just do the best you can." The pilot replied to the controller , "try to see what uh what I can rely on here and what I can't take it back to nine uh it's startin to open up here right now." When the pilot was asked by the controller if he could descend to 7,000 feet and stay on top, the pilot replied, "right now I'm pre I'm almost I'm in the clouds right now." The airplane separated into pieces and descended to the ground. The pilot's last recorded log book entry for flight in actual instrument conditions was about 30 months prior to the accident, which was for 1.3 hours. The pilot's last endorsement for an instrument competency check was about 5 years prior to the accident flight. Examination of the vacuum pump drive shaft with a binocular microscope revealed circular features consistent with torsional overstress. Weather reported at an airport 35 miles south of the accident site included scattered clouds at 4,400 feet, and broken clouds at 8,000 and 10,000 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.