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| Date: | Friday 26 January 2024 |
| Time: | 17:55 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 58 Baron |
| Owner/operator: | J & H Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N811CW |
| MSN: | TH-1351 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near DeRidder, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Abilene Regional Airport, TX (ABI/KABI) |
| KIYA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 26, 2024, about 1755 central daylight time, a Beechcraft BE58, N811CW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Deridder, Louisiana. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot had flown the reverse route earlier in the day and was on the return flight in night instrument meteorological conditions when the accident occurred. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it encountered a thunderstorm that contained heavy rain, severe turbulence, and hail during cruise flight. The pilot landed the airplane without further incident.
The pilot was aware of the weather front along his route of flight and was monitoring it using Next-Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) imagery delivered via XM Satellite during his flight. The pilot was also communicating with air traffic control to establish a route between weather cells with high to extreme precipitation. When asked by air traffic control if he had weather radar on board, the pilot responded that he did.
The pilot had NEXRAD weather imagery, which has a time lag from when the image is created to when it is displayed to the pilot. NEXRAD is not an airborne weather radar system, which would have provided real time weather information. It is likely that the controller, based on the pilot’s response, believed the pilot could see the weather in real time verses the latency involved in using NEXRAD imagery. This information likely affected the controller’s suggestions to the pilot regarding possible routes through the weather front. Although he was aware of the time lag in images, it is likely that the pilot did not fully appreciate the actual lag time of the weather imagery he was using to make his route choices.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s encounter with heavy rain, hail, and severe turbulence associated with a thunderstorm, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193716
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N811CW
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Feb-2024 14:54 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 13-Feb-2024 23:04 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 25-Feb-2025 22:26 | Captain Adam | Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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