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| Date: | Thursday 29 August 2019 |
| Time: | 16:00 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 35-B33 Debonair |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N9529Y |
| MSN: | CD-555 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1962 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 887 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-470-N(1) |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | St Ignatius Airport (52S), St Ignatius, MT -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Valentine-Miller Field, NE (VTN/KVTN) |
| St Ignatius Airport, MT (52S) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On August 29, 2019, about 1600 mountain daylight time, a Beech BE-35 airplane, N9529Y, impacted terrain on a private ranch, near St. Ignatius, Montana. The private pilot and the two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to the pilot who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed around the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Miller Field airport (VTN) in Valentine, Nebraska, and was destined for St. Ignatius airport (52S) in St. Ignatius, Montana.
The pilot and two passengers departed on a multi-leg cross-country flight. Video from a camera affixed to the airplane's right wing indicated that, as the airplane approached a ranch near the destination airport, the pilot overflew a set of power distribution lines, then descended to a lower altitude to overfly the ranch. The airplane impacted a second set of power lines, severing the left wing, left aileron, and the upper sections of the rudder and vertical stabilizer, then descended to the ground. Multiple witnesses reported hearing the airplane approaching the ranch, then seeing the airplane impact the power distribution lines. One witness stated that the pilot often overflew the ranch to announce his arrival but that he had never seen him fly that low.
Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot's decision to fly at low altitude and his failure to maintain clearance from powerlines, which resulted in impact with power lines and, subsequently, terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to maneuver the airplane at a low altitude, which resulted in impact with power lines and terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR19FA246
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=100173
https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N9529Y
Location
Images:
Photos(c): NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Aug-2019 23:09 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 30-Aug-2019 00:23 | Captain Adam | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 30-Aug-2019 01:10 | Geno | Updated [Time, Location, Source, ] |
| 30-Aug-2019 01:27 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 30-Aug-2019 01:34 | RobertMB | Updated [Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 30-Aug-2019 06:27 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 30-Aug-2019 09:42 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 30-Aug-2019 09:55 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 30-Aug-2019 19:54 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 31-Aug-2019 09:24 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 06-Mar-2022 02:01 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
| 06-Mar-2022 02:02 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 06-Mar-2022 02:02 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 08-Jul-2022 12:21 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 18-Feb-2025 13:08 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
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