At 09:34, a Beech Baron crashed following an in-flight encounter with weather while on an instrument approach near Newcastle. The pilot was killed. The IFR flight originated from Idabel, Okla., with an intended destination of Max Westheimer Airport, in Norman. Control tower personnel at Westheimer said the pilot established radio contact with them at 09:32 while the airplane was inbound for the runway 03 localizer approach. About a minute later, the airplane was observed on radar about one mile north of the final approach course. The pilot reported that he was not going to be able to continue the approach. When asked his intentions, the 4,300-hour pilot replied I am going to stay right here until I get out of some of this. The pilot did not reply to any further radio calls from the tower. The wreckage was located approximately one mile north of the final approach course, about 6 miles southwest of the landing threshold for runway 03. A fast moving cold front had moved through the area at the time of the accident. A 180-degree change of wind direction occurred and the temperatures dropped 16 degrees within the hour of the accident.
Dec. 6, Newcastle, Okla. / Beech 58 Baron
At 09:34, a Beech Baron crashed following an in-flight encounter with weather while on an instrument approach near Newcastle. The pilot was killed. The IFR flight originated from Idabel, Okla., with an intended destination of Max Westheimer Airport, in Norman. Control tower personnel at Westheimer said the pilot established radio contact with them at 09:32 while the airplane was inbound for the runway 03 localizer approach. About a minute later, the airplane was observed on radar about one mile north of the final approach course. The pilot reported that he was not going to be able to continue the approach. When asked his intentions, the 4,300-hour pilot replied I am going to stay right here...
Key Takeaways:
- A Beech Baron crashed near Newcastle during an instrument approach, resulting in the pilot's death.
- The accident was attributed to an in-flight encounter with severe weather, specifically a fast-moving cold front causing significant wind and temperature changes.
- The pilot reported difficulty continuing the approach and deviated from the final approach course before losing radio contact.
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