Beechcraft V-35A N7182N

Summary

On 3 August 2001 at about 19:55 local time, a Beechcraft V-35A registered N7182N was involved in an accident near Lusk, Wyoming, United States. One person was 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.

Date

3 August 2001 at 19:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Lusk, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

42.9919, -104.3636

Aircraft

Beechcraft V-35A

Registration

N7182N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lusk → Fort Collins

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN01FA135

1 person died.

the pilot's inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in an inadvertent collision with transmission wires.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A Wyoming state policeman, while making a traffic stop at mile marker 157 on Highway U.S. 85, said "a small plane flew by on the east side of the road at approximately 125 to 150 feet above the ground." He said a few minutes later he received a dispatch transmission about a plane crash and subsequent grass fire on Highway U.S. 85 at mile marker 167. A witness (an experienced pilot), while in his vehicle driving north, said the airplane passed over him flying at an estimated 100 to 120 miles per hour. He said: "it was flying straight and level, and showed no signs of engine problems. I was watching this plane when all of a sudden the tail went up and the nose went down and I believed it pitched slightly to the left. It appeared to have dived at a 45-60 degree angle from my point of view." Another witness, also driving north, said the airplane flew over him at 180 to 200 feet, and was descending. He said he saw the airplane strike transmission wires at the top of the hill. The airplane's empennage was broken off with two smaller pieces separating from the main piece. No preimpact engine or airframe anomalies, which might have affected the airplane's performance, were identified.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.