At about 1115 eastern time, a Beech F-35 broke up in flight and was destroyed in the resulting crash. The pilot and passenger were killed. The VFR flight was about eight miles from the destination when he advised the air traffic controller he had the runway in sight. The controller terminated flight following and approved a change to the airport advisory frequency. Radar data showed the airplane began its descent about eight miles out, turned to the right about two miles out, and then disappeared from radar while still at 4,400 feet. The wreckage was spread over a half-mile, with the left and right horizontal stabilizers located at the beginning of the trail and the wing spars buckled in a downward direction.
July 05, Middlesboro, Ky. / Beech Bonanza
At about 1115 eastern time, a Beech F-35 broke up in flight and was destroyed in the resulting crash. The pilot and passenger were killed. The VFR flight was about eight miles from the destination when he advised the air traffic controller he had the runway in sight. The controller terminated flight following and approved a change to the airport advisory frequency. Radar data showed the airplane began its descent about eight miles out, turned to the right about two miles out, and then disappeared from radar while still at 4,400 feet. The wreckage was spread over a half-mile, with the left and right horizontal stabilizers located at the beginning of the trail and the wing spars buckled in a d...
Key Takeaways:
- A Beech F-35 aircraft broke up in flight and crashed, resulting in the fatalities of both the pilot and passenger.
- The incident occurred approximately eight miles from the destination airport, shortly after the pilot reported the runway in sight and was cleared to change frequencies.
- Wreckage spread over a half-mile, with stabilizers located early in the debris trail and downward-buckled wing spars, strongly indicates an in-flight breakup at 4,400 feet.
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