Cessna P337H accident near N. Little Rock, Arkansas, March 2, 1994
On March 2, 1994, a Cessna P337H, registered N2QY, was destroyed in an accident near N. Little Rock, Arkansas (Bobwhite Hill Ranch airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, WHILE MANEUVERING TO LAND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND POSSIBLE SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1994
- Place
- N. Little Rock, Arkansas · Bobwhite Hill Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P337H · all P337Hs on the register
- Registration
- N2QY · no longer on the register · serial P3370298
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT CANCELED IFR & FLEW TO HIS PRIVATE STRIP, WHERE HE ENTERED A RIGHT TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 36 IN DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS. THE STRIP WAS LOCATED IN A RURAL AREA WITH FEW GROUND LIGHTS, EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST 1500 FEET OF THE STRIP, WHICH HAD MEDIUM INTENSITY RUNWAY LIGHTING (MIRL). SOUTH OF THE STRIP WAS A LARGE MILITARY MANEUVERING AREA THAT HAD NO LIGHTING. AS THE PILOT WAS MANEUVERING TO LAND, WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE ENTER A STEEP DESCENT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN, RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE SPOILERS WERE EXTENDED. TOXICOLOGY TESTS OF THE PILOT'S LIVER & KIDNEY TISSUE SHOWED 0.74 UG/ML & 0.159 UG/ML, RESPECTIVELY, OF BROMPHENIRAMINE (AN ANTIHISTAMINE). AN FAA TOXICOLOGIST STATED THESE WERE WITHIN A THERAPEUTIC RANGE. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S SON, HE TOOK DRIXORAL FOR SINUS PROBLEMS & A SLIGHT HEAD COLD; THE MEDICATION WAS NOT APPROVED FOR FLYING.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,289 hours in all; 141 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,271 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,238 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 19, 1994; 300 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LAF West Lafayette IN at 10:20 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 4,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.