Brownwood Airport - NTSB Report
NTSB Identification: DFW05FA059
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, January 22, 2005 in Brownwood, TX
Aircraft: Beech BE-36, registration: N1750A
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On January 22, 2005, approximately 0649 central standard time, a Beech BE-36 single engine airplane, N1750A, registered to and operated by a private individual, was destroyed after it impacted electrical wires, trees, and the ground while on a visual approach to runway 35 at the Brownwood Regional Airport (BWD), near Brownwood, Texas. The instrument-rated private pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated at 0600 from the Dallas Executive Airport (RBD), near Dallas, Texas, with BWD as its intended destination.
According to recorded information obtained from air traffic control (ATC) facilities, the airplane departed from Dallas at 0600. All communications between ATC and the pilot were normal, and after an uneventful en route flight from Dallas, the pilot was cleared for a visual approach to runway 35 at 0642. In an interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), a witness, who was located 2.82 miles south of the accident site, and standing outside in his driveway at 0645 in the morning, stated that it was dark, the wind was calm, and the sky was clear. He observed the airplane in-flight overhead flying at a "high speed" at an altitude of about 500 feet above the ground (agl), heading north. He further reported that he saw the airplane's navigational lights illuminated, and that the airplane's engine sounded "normal" and was "loud."
Residents, who were in their homes in close proximity to the accident site, reported that they heard the airplane overhead, followed by a "loud" explosion. One of the residents went outside, saw flames shooting in the air, and called "911" at 0649.
The accident site was located approximately 4,850 feet south of the approach end of runway 35 in a rural area, sparsely populated by small houses, cow pastures, and 20 to 30-foot high mesquite trees. Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates at the accident site were Latitude 31 degrees 46.424 minutes North and Longitude 98 degrees 57.280 minutes West, at a GPS elevation of 1,370 feet mean sea level (msl).
The published elevation for the approach end of runway 35 was 1,370.1 msl. The published elevation at BWD (mid-field) was 1,387 feet mean sea level. Runway 35 was 5,599 feet long x 150 feet wide and did not have (nor was it required by FAA regulation to have) visual slope indicator lights, PAPI, or approach lights. All available airport lighting was functional at the time of the accident.
Local authorities reported that electrical service to nearby residences was interrupted coincident with the accident time. Evidence at the accident site revealed that the airplane initially struck two 40-foot high electrical lines that were perpendicular to the flight path. The electrical lines were found separated and lying on the ground near their support poles. From the initial wire strike, fragments of airplane debris, along with broken tree limbs, were found along a 246-foot linear energy path bearing 350 degrees magnetic.
The main wreckage was consumed by post-impact fire. Flight control cable continuities from the cockpit to the ailerons, elevators, and rudder flight control surfaces were confirmed. The right flap was in a retracted position. The left flap actuator was consumed by the postimpact fire. The flap drive from each actuator was observed to be intact and attached to the flap motor assembly. The landing gear actuator was found in a position consistent with landing gear "extended." The right main landing gear was found in the extended position and attached to the right wing landing gear support structure. The cabin door upper latch bolt was found separated. The fuselage utility doors latch handle was found in the closed position.
At 0645, the automated surface observing system at BWD reported wind from 360 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10statute miles, clear sky, temperature 14 degrees Celsius, dew point 07 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.08 inches of Mercury. Additionally, several residents near the accident site, reported that the sky was "clear" and the wind was "calm" at the time of the accident.
According to data from the U.S Naval Observatory, the following information was provided for Brownwood, Brown County, Texas, on January 22, 2005.
Begin Civil Twilight: 0708
Sunrise: 0734
Moonrise: 1535
Moonset: 0637
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