ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 26150
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| Date: | Monday 1 July 2002 |
| Time: | 13:15 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft H18 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N835K |
| MSN: | BA-724 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6466 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney R985 AN-1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Tatum, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Taos Airport, NM (TSM/KSKX) |
| Odessa Schlemeyer Field, TX (KODO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On July 1, 2002, approximately 1315 mountain daylight time, a Beech H-18 twin-engine airplane, N835K, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while descending near Tatum, New Mexico. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to a private individual. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Taos Regional Airport, Taos, New Mexico, at an unspecified time.
A witness reported hearing the distinctive sound of a radial engine just before the crash, and right after that a loud crashing noise. The witness observed a large cloud of dust forming, subsequently saw the plane parts scattering from west to east across the pasture, and then observed the fuselage come to rest. A second witness saw the airplane hit the ground and a cloud of dust form about one-quarter of a mile long and as high as a highline wire. The witness said that after the dust settled he saw scattered plane parts, a highline wire down, and a wing part spilling fuel. The witness also stated that the airplane was traveling from west to east and looked horizontal at impact At 12:59:57, approximately 10 minutes prior to the time of the accident, air traffic control radar identified a target 8 nautical miles northwest of the accident site at an altitude of 5,500 feet mean sea level (MSL). However, this target could not be positively identified as the accident airplane. A postmortem examination of the pilot by a Medical Investigator reported significant natural disease findings included coronary atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries), and chronic thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid gland). Both of these diseases can cause sudden cardiac problems including an arrhythmia or heart attack.
Probable Cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain clearance.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20020709X01075&key=1
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:14 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 09-Dec-2017 16:54 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Apr-2024 18:52 | Captain Adam | Updated [Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Photo] |
| 08-Apr-2024 18:53 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
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