ADDISON, TX, USA
N53444
Beech BE-60
During short final on the instrument approach, ice accumulated on the windshield. The pilot requested and received clearance to circle for the landing. Following the circling approach, the multiengine airplane landed hard, exited the runway, and both main landing gear collapsed. The pilot had received a preflight weather briefing and filed an instrument flight plan. The weather observation at the destination airport: 3 miles visibility, mist, overcast 800 feet, temperature and dew point 32 degrees F., with the wind from 060 degrees at 15 knots. The private pilot's multiengine rating was limited to VFR only.
On December 25, 2000, at 1640 central standard time, a Beech BE-60, twin engine airplane, N53444, landed hard on runway 33 at the Addison Municipal Airport, Addison, Texas. The airplane was owned by a private individual, and operated by the private pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Neither the pilot nor his two passengers received injuries; however, the airplane sustained substantial damage. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Glendale, Arizona, at 1135 mountain standard time. The pilot received an abbreviated preflight weather briefing from the Prescott Flight Service Station, Prescott, Arizona. Upon reaching the Addison area, the pilot requested and was cleared for the ILS approach to runway 33, executed a missed approach, and received radar vectors for the ILS approach to runway 15. The airplane was about 100 feet agl on short final for runway 15, when the windshield iced over. The pilot requested, and was cleared to circle for the landing on runway 33. Windshield ice obstructed the pilot's vision, and the airplane landed hard, veered off the runway, and collapsed both main landing gears before coming to rest. The FAA inspector examined the airplane and found structural damage throughout the aircraft. The left main landing gear was found collapsed, and the right main landing gear drag brace extended upward into the wing structures. The landing gear doors, propellers, and flaps were damaged. Wrinkling and buckling were noted at the fuselage and nose sections. A review of the FAA records revealed that the pilot held a private certificate with airplane single-engine, airplane multiengine, and instrument airplane ratings. However, the multiengine rating was limited to visual flight rules (VFR) only. At 1647, the weather observation at the Addison Airport indicated instrument meteorological conditions. The reported visibility was 3 miles in mist with an overcast cloud layer at 800 feet agl. The temperature and dew point were both reported at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind was reported from 060 degrees at 15 knots.
The pilot's misjudged flare of the airplane resulting from restricted forward visibility. Factors were the pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather conditions, the icing conditions, and the iced windshield.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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