Beechcraft BE-23 N234DD

Summary

On 8 February 2004 at about 20:15 local time, a Beechcraft BE-23 registered N234DD, operated by Joe Anthony Salvato, was involved in an accident near Mena, Arkansas, United States. One person was 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.

Date

8 February 2004 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Mena, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Intermountain Muni. Airport (M39)

Coordinates

34.9706, -94.3692

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-23

Registration

N234DD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Joe Anthony Salvato

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mena → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04LA071

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's misjudgment of altitude and distance during the forced landing which resulted in a collision with trees and transmission wires.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After takeoff from runway 17 (a 6,000-foot-long and 100-foot-wide asphalt runway), the 5,625-hour air transport pilot made a left downwind departure and climbed to an altitude of 2,000 feet above ground level (agl), when the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to re-start the engine, but was unsuccessful. He turned left and aligned the airplane with the runway while descending. The pilot flew along the length of the runway, but never landed. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, he aligned the airplane with a taxiway, but decided to turn and land in an open clearing, where it struck trees and power lines. The engine was run on the airframe with the original bent propeller still installed for five minutes. After installation of a new propeller, and the engine was started, it ran continuously at various power settings without interruption. No mechanical deficiencies were noted. The airplane was out of annual inspection, and was being ferried to Houston, Texas where it was scheduled to undergo an annual inspection. The FAA issued the ferry permit based on the belief that the airplane had undergone an annual inspection over a year ago. Further examination revealed that the airplane had not received an annual inspection since 1988. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.