Beech BE-23 accident near Mena, Arkansas, February 8, 2004
On February 8, 2004 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Beech BE-23, registered N234DD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mena, Arkansas (Intermountain Muni. Airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's misjudgment of altitude and distance during the forced landing which resulted in a collision with trees and transmission wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2004 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mena, Arkansas · Intermountain Muni. Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-23
- Registration
- N234DD · registry record · serial MC-129
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff from runway 17 (a 6,000-foot-long and 100-foot-wide asphalt runway), the 5,625-hour air transport pilot made a left downwind departure and climbed to an altitude of 2,000 feet above ground level (agl), when the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to re-start the engine, but was unsuccessful. He turned left and aligned the airplane with the runway while descending. The pilot flew along the length of the runway, but never landed. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, he aligned the airplane with a taxiway, but decided to turn and land in an open clearing, where it struck trees and power lines. The engine was run on the airframe with the original bent propeller still installed for five minutes. After installation of a new propeller, and the engine was started, it ran continuously at various power settings without interruption. No mechanical deficiencies were noted. The airplane was out of annual inspection, and was being ferried to Houston, Texas where it was scheduled to undergo an annual inspection. The FAA issued the ferry permit based on the belief that the airplane had undergone an annual inspection over a year ago. Further examination revealed that the airplane had not received an annual inspection since 1988. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,625 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command; 1,250 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 4, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,218.4 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, February 7, 2004; 0.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M39 Mena AR at 8:15 pm
- Destination: EFD Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 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.