Monday, July 24, 2017

Loss of Control on Ground: Beech G35 Bonanza, N4216D; accident occurred July 23, 2017 at Wichita Valley Airport (F14), Iowa Park, Wichita County, Texas

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Lubbock, Texas


Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

http://registry.faa.gov/N4216D

Location: Wichita Falls, TX
Accident Number: CEN17LA282
Date & Time: 07/23/2017, 2230 CDT
Registration: N4216D
Aircraft: BEECH G35
Aircraft Damage:  Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On July 23, 2017, about 2230 central daylight time, a Beech G35, N4216D, was substantially damaged when it struck an irrigation canal off the end of runway 13 at Wichita Valley Airport (F14), Wichita Falls, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was seriously injured. The local flight originated from Grand Prairie (GPM), Texas, about 2130.

According to the pilot's accident report, he departed GPM about 2130, and received flight following and a clearance into Class B airspace. The flight proceeded normally until he entered the downwind leg for runway 13 at F14. He noted scattered thunderstorms ahead. On final approach, he thought the airplane was too high and he considered making a go-around. He felt strong downdraft and encountered heavy rain and turbulence. He also observed several lightning strikes ahead.

The pilot made the decision to land and risk running off the end of the runway rather than possibly entering the thunderstorm. The pilot said he did not realize there were 6-foot tall berms on either side of a drainage ditch 50 to 60 feet from the end of the runway because of the tall weeds obscured them. There was also standing water on the second half of the runway. The airplane went off the end of the runway and struck the first berm. The impact rendered the pilot unconscious. When he regained consciousness minutes later, the airplane was in a drainage ditch and water had filled the cockpit. He remained in the airplane until daylight, extricated himself, and walked to a nearby house where he called 9-1-1.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the airplane and reported finding substantial damage to the forward fuselage and firewall.

Weather observations recorded at Sheppard Air Force Base/Wichita Falls Municipal Airport (SPS), located 7 miles to the east of F14, reported winds varying from 060° to 360° at 16 to 20 knots, and gusting from 21 to 29 knots, with a peak wind at 35 knots. There was a thunderstorm in the vicinity, with lightning observed in all quadrants. 

Pilot Information

Certificate: Airline Transport; Flight Instructor
Age: 65, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Lap Only
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Multi-engine; Airplane Single-engine; Instrument Airplane
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 Waiver Time Limited Special
Last FAA Medical Exam: 06/20/2017
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 06/16/2016
Flight Time:   (Estimated) 5000 hours (Total, all aircraft), 500 hours (Total, this make and model), 3500 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 25 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 8 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 2 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: BEECH
Registration: N4216D
Model/Series: G35 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1956
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal; Utility
Serial Number: D-4414
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 06/03/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2550 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 3888 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Continental
ELT: C91  installed, activated, did not aid in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: E-225-8
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 225 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Night/Dark
Observation Facility, Elevation: KSPS, 1019 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 7 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 2231 CDT
Direction from Accident Site: 20°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 8000 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 12 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / Convective
Wind Direction: 30°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / Moderate
Altimeter Setting: 30 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 22°C
Precipitation and Obscuration:
Departure Point: Grand Prairie, TX (GPM)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Wichita Falls, TX (F14)
Type of Clearance: VFR Flight Following
Departure Time: 2130 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: Wichita Valley (F14)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 1004 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Wet
Runway Used: 13
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 3320 ft / 40 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Traffic Pattern

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude:  33.944167, -98.613056 (est)

NTSB Identification: CEN17LA282

14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 23, 2017 in Wichita Falls, TX
Aircraft: BEECH G35, registration: N4216D
Injuries: 1 Serious.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On July 23, 2017, about 2230 central daylight time, a Beech G35, N4216D, was substantially damaged when it struck an irrigation canal off the end of runway 13 at Wichita Valley Airport (F14), Wichita Falls, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was seriously injured. The local flight originated from Grand Prairie (GPM), Texas, about 2130.

According to the pilot's accident report, he departed GPM about 2130, and received flight following and a clearance into Class B airspace. The flight proceeded normally until he entered the downwind leg for runway 13 at F14. He noted scattered thunderstorms ahead. On final approach, he thought the airplane was too high and he considered making a go-around. He felt strong downdraft and encountered heavy rain and turbulence. He also observed several lightning strikes ahead.

The pilot made the decision to land and risk running off the end of the runway rather than possibly entering the thunderstorm. The pilot said he did not realize there were 6-foot tall berms on either side of a drainage ditch 50 to 60 feet from the end of the runway because of the tall weeds obscured them. There was also standing water on the second half of the runway. The airplane went off the end of the runway and struck the first berm. The impact rendered the pilot unconscious. When he regained consciousness minutes later, the airplane was in a drainage ditch and water had filled the cockpit. He remained in the airplane until daylight, extricated himself, and walked to a nearby house where he called 9-1-1.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the airplane and reported finding substantial damage to the forward fuselage and firewall.


Weather observations recorded at Sheppard Air Force Base/Wichita Falls Municipal Airport (SPS), located 7 miles to the east of F14, reported winds varying from 060° to 360° at 16 to 20 knots, and gusting from 21 to 29 knots, with a peak wind at 35 knots. There was a thunderstorm in the vicinity, with lightning observed in all quadrants.

NTSB Identification: CEN17LA282
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 23, 2017 in Wichita Falls, TX
Aircraft: BEECH G35, registration: N4216D
Injuries: 1 Serious.

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. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On July 23, 2017, about 2000 central daylight time, a Beech G35, N4216D, was substantially damaged when it struck an irrigation canal off the end of runway 31 at Wichita Valley Airport (F14), Wichita Falls, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was seriously injured. The flight originated from Addison Airport (ADS) about 1945, and was destined for F14.

The airplane was found in a drainage ditch off the end of runway 31. The pilot was unable to extricate himself from the wreckage until the next morning. He was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors reported the airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and firewall.


Just like every morning, Iowa Park resident, Lee Riley helps Phyllis Davis by doing yard work around her house, but this morning was a little different. 

Riley said, "That gate over there, that red barn, he was coming through that, at the time, and I hollered at him and I said "What in the Sam Hill happened to you?" and he said, "I was in a plane crash." 

Riley added that he usually comes in to help Davis around 8:30, but this morning he came earlier and just before 10 is when he saw someone walking towards him covered in blood.

"When he walked over here, I asked him, well what exactly happened and he said well it happened last night. I've been over there, in that plane," Riley also said.

 DPS Troopers say they received the call around 10 this morning reporting a single passenger plane crash.

Trooper, Will Richter said, "We're not sure if it was taking off or landing and couldn't get stopped but it went on to the end of the runway and into the drainage ditch." 

Riley said, "I asked him well what can I do for you, can I get you a drink of water, he said oh yes, I'd love to get a drink of water. So I went in the garage, I keep a bottle of water in the garage so I went in the and got it for him." 

Davis said she's happy that Riley was there at that time because she wouldn't have known what to do, but Riley did. He dialed 911 and says paramedics showed up in less than 10 minutes.

"I was afraid to handle him or try to do anything for him, but all the blood he had on him, on the side of his face and a big 'ole cut on the side of his arm here was right about four inches long and about two inches wide looked like it was a quarter inch deep, had pulled out like he's been thrown out of a plane or something other," Riley.

Riley said he didn't even get the man's name, he just wanted to make sure he was taken care of.

Authorities concluded by saying that John Knowles was taken to United Regional and is stable at last report.

According to the FAA records, the plane is registered to a Wichita Falls aviation company under Knowles' name, and the FAA will be investigating the crash.

Watch video: http://www.texomashomepage.com






WICHITA COUNTY, TX (KAUZ) -   A 65-year-old Wichita Falls man spent the night in his downed airplane before walking for help Monday morning in Wichita County.

The FAA website shows the plane was last registered to a pilot in Nacogdoches, Texas. Skidmarks are still visible on the runway where the tires were locked up.

Ginger Peterson said she saw the plane land.

"I could hear the plane struggling and putting," she said.

Peterson said Sunday around 9:00 pm she noticed strong thunderstorms moving into the area. That is when the plane was trying to land.

"It landed on the runway and went all the way to the end of the runway," Peterson said. "And I thought good he is on the ground and okay."

She was concerned when the plane never turned around, however she thought the pilot may have needed to catch his breath.

Turns out it did not turn around and skidded off the runway into a water-filled ditch about 300 yards away. 

The man flying that plane spent the night inside the aircraft.

"Our understanding is he was able to walk to a local residence and call for help from there," DPS State Trooper, Will Richter said.

The pilot was then rushed to United Regional. Initially, DPS Troopers were not quite sure how it happened. But once they were, it left Peterson wishing she had done more.

"I felt horrible," Peterson said. "I thought gosh I hope he's okay. And I hope that he didn't sit there all night injured when I could have called it in."

The pilot was the only person inside the single engine plane and is in stable condition at United Regional.

The FAA has taken over the investigation, but at this time it is unclear if weather played a role in the crash.


http://www.newschannel6now.com




One man was taken to a Wichita Falls hospital after his aircraft went down near Wichita Valley Airport during Sunday night's storms.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Staff Sgt. Dan Buesing said in a news release Monday afternoon that the crash happened about 9 p.m. Sunday at the south end of the Wichita Valley Airport Runway near the intersection of Old Iowa Park Road and Farm-to-Market 369. He said the man stayed in the aircraft overnight before walking to a nearby residence Monday morning.

He was later transported to United Regional Health Care System.

Buesing said the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified of the crash and DPS has secured the scene. The FAA will be the investigating agency.

A Times Record News photographer on the scene of the crash said discussion there was that the pilot was attempting an approach on Wichita Valley Airport to land when he experienced a strong wind gust or downburst, forcing his plane down, crashing in an irrigation canal.

Lee Riley, a witness at the home where the pilot walked to, said he saw the man walking next to a red and white barn toward his house.

"I asked him, 'What in Sam Hill is going on?'" he said. "He said, 'I had an airplane crash.'"

Riley said the pilot had injuries to an arm, leg and his head. The pilot also had told him that the crash happened over night.

"It's a miracle he's alive," Riley said.

The Federal Aviation Administration website shows the 1955 Beechcraft Bonanza G35 is registered to Knowles Aviation LLC in Wichita Falls.

A call came in at about 9:59 a.m. Monday of a plane possibly down in the area of 3626 Iowa Park Road and Harris Lane. According to information on the police and fire scanner, a civilian aircraft was found in a field Iowa Park Road and Farm-to-Market 369.

Responding agencies included the Wichita Falls Fire Department, Wichita Falls Police Department, American Medical Response, Wichita Falls Emergency Management Office, Wichita County Sheriff's Office, Wichita County Emergency Management, Sheppard Air Force Base Fire Department, Texas DPS and the Texas Department of Transportation.

The Bonanza G35 is a single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft seats four people and has a top cruising speed of about 190 mph. Its maximum range is about 775 miles and can hold up to 40 gallons of fuel.


Watch video:  http://www.timesrecordnews.com


WICHITA COUNTY, Tx (RNN Texoma) - A 65-year-old Wichita Falls man is recovering after a single-engine plane he was piloting crashed at the south end of the Wichita Valley Airport in Iowa Park.

Texas DPS officials said the plane crashed around 9:00 pm Sunday night.

The plane was attempting to land when it slid into an embankment close to the FM 369 and Old Iowa Park Road intersection. 

DPS officials said the pilot did not exit the plane until this morning around 10:30 am when he walked to a nearby residence. 

The pilot was later taken to United Regional Hospital where he was listed in stable condition. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and the

Texas Department of Public Safety has secured the scene. 

FAA is taking over the investigation of the crash. 


Emergency medical personnel prepare to transport the injured pilot of a Beechcraft Bonanza that crashed Sunday night on approach to Wichita Valley Airport. The pilot was able to pull himself from the wreckage about 9:45 Monday morning and walk to a nearby farmhouse for help.










UPDATE: The plane is not located in the 3600 block of Old Iowa Park Road as originally reported by witnesses. It is actually just off the southeast end of the runway, near Old Iowa Park Road, at Wichita Valley Airport.

The FAA lists the plane as de-registered. The most recent owner of the plane is reportedly from Texas

Original Story:
The Wichita Falls Fire and Police Departments and Sheppard Air Force Base fire personnel are on the scene of a plane crash in the 3600 block of Old Iowa Park Road. 

Fire personnel confirmed that the plane is a civilian craft.

Watch video:  http://www.texomashomepage.com

2 comments:

  1. The aircraft type is not G35. The aircraft is a BE35, Bonanza.

    ReplyDelete
  2. God Bless you, Mr. Riley. You are a real man's man.

    ReplyDelete