Beechcraft J35 N8350D

Summary

On 28 August 2024 at about 00:45 local time, a Beechcraft J35 registered N8350D was involved in an accident near Belgrade, Montana, United States. The number of people on board was not recorded. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

28 August 2024 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Belgrade, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Bozeman Yellowstone Intl (BZN)

Coordinates

45.7772, -111.1503

Aircraft

Beechcraft J35

Registration

N8350D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1958

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Billings → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA323

Injuries not recorded.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On August 27, 2024, about 1845 mountain daylight time, a Beech J35, N8350D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Belgrade, Montana. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, a new pitch trim servo was recently installed as part of the autopilot system update on the airplane prior to the accident flight. The pilot completed a post-maintenance preflight and departed without incident.  The pilot started that he conducted a straight-in approach to runway 30 at Bozeman-Yellowstrone International Airport, Bozeman, Montana, about 45-minutes after departure. During the landing flare, he felt the control yoke "jam up" and that it felt as though it "broke free" when he increased aft backpressure on the yoke. The control yoke "jammed up" a second time shortly after the pilot attempted to level the aircraft for landing, and when he applied additional forward movement, the control yoke "broke free" again. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard. A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the lower engine mount structure was substantially damage. Additionally, one of the pitch servo bridle cable clamp assemblies (figure 1) appeared to be binding on bulkhead assembly, station 179, a control cable tunnel guide. Figure 1. View of bridle cable clamp slightly aft of the bulkhead assembly at station 179. The airplane was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.