NTSB Identification: CEN12FA291
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, May 10, 2012 in Las Vegas, NM
Aircraft: BEECH V35B, registration: N645EP
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On May 10, 2012, at an unconfirmed time (all times in this report have been converted to mountain daylight time), N645EP, a Beech V35B airplane, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain 4 miles east south-east of Las Vegas Municipal Airport (LVS), Las Vegas, New Mexico. The private pilot, sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Henderson Executive Airport (HDN), Henderson, Nevada, approximately 1725. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

A review of preliminary air traffic control radar data revealed that the pilot landed at LVS around 2030. While at LVS, he purchased 41.7 gallons of 100LL AVGAS. At 2117:45, three radar returns emitting a VFR beacon code are observed about 4 miles east of the airport an altitude of 7,900 feet msl. The radar returns indicated the target was heading east, then southeast before the data ended at 2118:15.

The airplane was examined on-scene by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on May 13, 2012. The wreckage was fragmented along open, treeless pasture on private property at an approximate elevation of 6,900 feet. The wreckage was scattered along a linear path that was approximately 800 feet long by 250 feet wide, and oriented on a magnetic heading of 236 degrees. The initial impact point was located near the top of a shallow hill and consisted of an approximate 30-foot-long by 1-foot-wide ground scar, followed by an approximate 1-foot-deep by 3-foot-wide crater. Small pieces of red and white paint chips were found embedded in the ground scars along with broken pieces of clear glass. Broken pieces of the propeller assembly were found in the crater.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land. His last Third Class FAA medical was issued on December 30, 2010, with a restriction for near and intermediate vision. At that time, he reported a total of 1,000 flight hours.

Weather at LVS at 2053 was reported as wind from 050 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, light rain, clouds broken at 4,500, clouds overcast at 5,000, temperature 11 degrees Celsius, dewpoint, 4 degrees Celsisus, and an altimeter setting of 30.27 inches Hg.

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