Beech 95 N1533Z accident near Minden, Nevada

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering during a low altitude maneuver that resulted in a stall.

NTSB analysis

Witnesses reported that the pilot had taken four friends that were attending an outdoor working group on a local flight. The airplane made two to three low passes over the working group. On the final pass, the airplane was slightly above the tops of the local houses, between 100 and 300 feet above ground level (agl). Recovered GPS data indicated that the airplane was traveling from northeast to southwest at 120 knots ground speed. The witnesses stated that the airplane then made a sudden steep climbing left turn that approached 90 degrees angle of bank, appeared to decelerate at the top of the climbing turn, then dropped towards the ground nose first to ground impact. The witnesses noted that the engines could be heard "running perfectly" throughout the maneuver. Post accident examination of the airplane established continuity from all control surfaces to the cockpit. Examination of both engines revealed no abnormal conditions or signatures.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR09FA235 for the full record.