The airplane was substantially damaged after a hard landing at 1415 Central time following a loss of airspeed indication in IMC. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. Instrument conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot later stated he encountered icing conditions and diverted. Before reaching the new destination, the airspeed indicator stopped working. While over the runway on landing approach, the airplane “fell straight down.” Examination revealed all three landing gear had collapsed and the wing spars were bent. There was ice on the surfaces of the airplane and on the ground near the impact point. Initial post-accident inspection of the pitot heat system showed the pitot heat switch was on but ice was found in the pitot tube. No heat was detected at the pitot tube.
December 6, 2009, Dodge City, Kan., Beech V35 Bonanza
The airplane was substantially damaged after a hard landing at 1415 Central time following a loss of airspeed indication in IMC. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. Instrument conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot later stated he encountered icing conditions and diverted. Before reaching the new destination, the airspeed indicator stopped working. While over the runway on landing approach, the airplane "fell straight down."
Key Takeaways:
- An airplane sustained substantial damage during a hard landing after its airspeed indicator failed in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC).
- The airspeed indicator stopped working due to ice found in the pitot tube, despite the pitot heat switch being on, as no heat was detected at the tube.
- The incident occurred after the pilot encountered icing conditions and diverted, resulting in the aircraft "falling straight down" during approach.
- The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured, even though the aircraft suffered collapsed landing gear and bent wing spars.
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