Beechcraft 58 N4016A

Summary

On 4 December 2012 at about 20:38 local time, a Beechcraft 58 registered N4016A, operated by Bemidji Aviation Services Inc., was involved in an accident near Manhattan, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 December 2012 at 20:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Manhattan, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Joliet Regional (JOT)

Coordinates

41.3806, -88.0086

Aircraft

Beechcraft 58

Registration

N4016A

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Bemidji Aviation Services Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bemidji → Joliet

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13FA089

1 person died.

An in-flight loss of control and impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting pipeline surveillance at the time of the accident. A witness reported that he observed the accident airplane in level flight about 50 feet above a nearby two-story house. Everything appeared normal at that time; however, when he looked up a few moments later, the airplane was “sideways” with the wings oriented vertically. The airplane impacted an open field. The accident site was located about 1/3 mile east-southeast of the pipeline under surveillance. The debris path was about 950 feet long, and the airframe was fragmented during the impact sequence. A postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. Analysis of all available information related to the accident did not reveal a definitive cause for the in-flight loss of control and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.