Beechcraft A23A N4761J

Summary

On 13 March 2007 at about 21:30 local time, a Beechcraft A23A registered N4761J, operated by Azusa, LLP, was involved in an accident near Holman, New Mexico, 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

13 March 2007 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Holman, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

36.0803, -105.4372

Aircraft

Beechcraft A23A

Registration

N4761J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Azusa, LLP

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tucumcari → Durango

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN07FA071

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain a safe altitude and clearance, and his improper inflight planning/decision to postpone initiating a climbing turn to avoid obstructions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane struck a grove of trees and impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude, just below a state highway, at the 9,186-foot level. Two witnesses reported seeing a low-flying airplane that was "barely clearing the trees." One of the witnesses said the airplane's wheels were about "20 to 50 feet above the trees" and the airplane banked south. They lost sight of the airplane as he rounded a bend in the road. According to the pilot's flight instructor, the pilot and he had flown this route numerous times. Both the pilot and the instructor were familiar with the terrain and the mountain pass. According to the Albuquerque Sectional Chart, the summit of the pass is approximately 10,000 feet msl. Engine disassembly revealed no discrepancies. Data downloaded from a Garmin GPS (Global Positioning System) MAP 195 recovered from the wreckage revealed the airplane had been cruising between 100 and 125 mph. According to NTSB's GPS Specialist's factual report, "The airplane began to slow gradually after passing over Rt. 518. This road lies in the center of a broad north-south oriented valley. The airplane had slowed to approximately 74 mph by the time it reached the coordinates of the last recorded GPS tracklog point. The airplane maintained a near straight line course during this time" and was "entering an area of rising terrain. Information concerning aircraft altitude was not available because the GPSMAP 195 does not calculate and record GPS altitude."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.