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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

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NTSB Report

December 5, 1994 · Beech V35 · N4855J

Village Mills, TX

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
December 5, 1994
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 minor injury), 1 uninjured
Location
Village Mills, TX
Aircraft
Beech V35
Tail Number
N4855J
Injuries
Minor
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
NTSB Number
FTW95LA059

A PRIVATE PILOT WAS TAKING OFF FROM A PRIVATE ROUGH GRASS AIRSTRIP. THE AIRPLANE HIT A ROUGH SPOT AND VEERED TO THE LEFT. THE NOSE GEAR THEN IMPACTED A LARGE GRASS COVERED HOLE AND THE AIRCRAFT ROTATED ABOUT ITS VERTICAL AXIS CAUSING THE LEFT WING TO HIT A TREE. A FIRE STARTED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.

NTSB Probable Cause

THE PILOT'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN FOR TAKEOFF. A FACTOR WAS THE ROUGH CONDITION OF THE GRASS RUNWAY.

Full Narrative

On December 5, 1994, approximately 1600 central standard time, a Beech V35, N4855J, was destroyed during takeoff from Wildwood Airstrip at Village Mills, Texas. The private pilot was not injured and his pilot rated passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight. During the interview, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, the pilot reported that he had landed at this airstrip 20 times before without difficulty. He knew that the rains had damaged the airstrip and that the drainage was worse on the west (right) side of the runway; therefore, he chose a take off ground roll "as far left as possible." The "hole" he hit with his aircraft was about 2 feet deep and was the result of rain "washing out" an area around a drain pipe. It was covered with grass and he did not see it during landing. The take off roll started normally, the pilot reported. He veered slightly left to utilize the better (smoother) part of the airstrip. The "left main wheel apparently hit a dip in the runway, which caused the craft to veer more to the left than was intended". The nose gear hit the grass covered hole referred to above, causing the aircraft to rotate about its vertical axis and the left wing to hit a tree subsequently shearing off the outer 6 feet of the wing. A fire started at that separation point consequently destroying the airplane.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time16:00 CST
Nearest AirportWildwood Air Strip (0nm)
Runway18
Runway Length3200 ft
Runway Width75 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireGrd
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftBeech V35
Tail NumberN4855J
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageDestroyed
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsContinental · IO-520-B · Reciprocating · 285
Seats6

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 minor injury), 1 uninjured
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor1
Uninjured1
Total2
Crew 1Age 49 · Third Class

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind110° @ 6 kt
Visibility8 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point61 F
Altimeter30.00 inHg
Observation Time21:55
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data