Beech 58 accident near Dubuque, Iowa, October 23, 2001
On October 23, 2001 at about 10:22 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N7235R, was destroyed in an accident near Dubuque, Iowa (Dubuque Regional Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot continued flight into known adverse weather and disregarded the minimum descent altitude. Additional factors were the conditions conducive to pilot fatigue, fog, and night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 2001 · about 10:22 am local time
- Place
- Dubuque, Iowa · Dubuque Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N7235R · no longer on the register · serial TH-559
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At 0522 CST, the airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees and the embankment of a county road about 1.25 miles southeast of the destination airport. The flight had been cleared for and was flying inbound on the LOC RWY 31 instrument approach. At 0513, the observed weather was visibility 1/4 mile, fog, clouds broken 100 feet agl, overcast 500 feet agl, temperature 52 degrees F, and dew point 52 degrees F. The LOC RWY 31 approach plate indicated the airport elevation was 1,076 feet. The Minimum Descent Altitude for the Missed Approach was listed as 1,540 feet msl, and the visibility minimum was 1/2 mile. The pilot's flight duty log was found at the accident site. It indicated the pilot had been off duty on October 19, 2001. On October 20, 2001, he logged 16.1 hours for his duty day that included 4.3 hours of flight time. He was off duty on October 21, 2001. The pilot reported for flight duty at 1400 on October 22, 2001. The flight duty consisted of flying seven separate flight legs conducted under 14 CFR Part 135 regulations, and the eighth leg was a Part 91 positioning flight. The pilot's duty day on the day of the accident flight was 15.4 hours. The post accident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 172 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 12,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 26, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,826 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 18, 2001; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C7B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL at 9:35 am
- Destination: DBQ Dubuque IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 6,498 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.50 inHg
- Observation at 10:13 am from DBQ, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.