Beech B35 accident near Waterloo, Iowa, September 30, 2007
On September 30, 2007 at about 1:20 am local time, a Beech B35, registered N55GW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waterloo, Iowa (Waterloo Regional Airort airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the trees and terrain during a night visual approach for landing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's lack of recent night flying experience, the night conditions, and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2007 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Waterloo, Iowa · Waterloo Regional Airort · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B35 · all B35s on the register
- Registration
- N55GW · no longer on the register · serial D-2497
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees during a night visual approach for landing. The pilot contacted approach control and was told to enter a left base for runway 18, and was cleared for a VFR descent. The airplane was about 8 miles east of the airport. Flight track data indicated that the airplane approached the airport from the east and flew over the approach end of runway 24, and then flew over the control tower. The airplane flew to the southwest and then turned right and paralleled runway 30 to the northwest. The tower controller provided the pilot with a wind check, and the pilot asked if the runway lights were turned on. The pilot reported that he had the runway in sight. The tower controller re-cleared the airplane to land on runway 18. The approach controller reported that the pilot "eventually got on [a] right downwind to RY 18." The approach controller reported that he observed the airplane's red blinking light on a right base for runway 18, but then lost sight of the airplane. The accident site was located about 1.4 miles north of runway 18. The inspection of the accident site revealed that the tops of 40 - 50 foot tall trees about 100 yards northwest of the impact area had broken tree limbs where the airplane impacted the trees. The inspection of the airplane revealed no pre-impact anomalies. A review of the pilot's flight logbook indicated that he had flown 1 hour and 47 minutes of documented night flight since October 20, 1998. The most recent night flight recorded was 47 minutes logged on December 8, 2003. Official sunset on the night of the accident was at 1856.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,616 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,230 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2006; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UES Waukesha WI at 11:56 pm
- Destination: ALO Waterloo IA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18, 6,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 160° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
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.