While the Beechcraft Bonanza has a loyal following, it also has an infamous moniker: The Doctor Killer.
It gained that name decades ago following a spate of high-profile crashes, with many of the pilot doctors.
In fact, that spate of accidents was part of the reason for the creation of the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP) in 1983 by the American Bonanza Society.
The BPPP offers a variety of online training, as well as flight instruction. BPPP is designed to make Beechcraft owners safer and more accomplished pilots, according to ABS officials.
But what led to that spate of accidents and what has changed?
When the Bonanza was first introduced in 1947, most pilots transitioning into the Bonanza were flying an Aeronca Champ or Cessna 140, or something similar, explained Thomas P. Turner, executive director of the American Bonanza Society Air Safety Foundation.
“There was a huge leap in aircraft capability, and the intricacy of the systems of the airplane, at the time,” he explained. “They became much more complex airplanes, and so there were a lot of accidents initially.
“Eventually, the flight instruction community learned how to teach people to fly Bonanzas, and the accident rate dropped off,” he said.
“Exactly the same thing happened in a number of different airplanes,” he continued. “The Cessna 310 had a very high initial accident rate. People were coming out of single-engine airplanes into something like a 310 when they were new. At the very best, they might have flown an Apache or something like that.
“And in its first years of operation, the Cessna 310 had a horrible accident rate. Eventually, the industry figured out how to teach people to fly these things.”
Part of the reason for the “doctor killer” name is that doctors — and other professionals, like lawyers — were able to afford a Bonanza when it was first introduced.
“Especially in the 1950s and ‘60s, the Bonanza was the pinnacle of personal airplane ownership,” Turner said. “It was the top of the heap as far as single-engine airplanes was concerned. And so we ended up with a lot of professionals in these airplanes.
“And as you know, in general aviation aircraft, there are often going to be people who are flying airplanes for which they are not properly trained or they try to fly them in an environment for which it is not certified and capable of withstanding. And so we ended up taking a class of people epitomized by physicians, putting them into a high-end airplane epitomized by the Bonanza, and every now and then, when there’s a crash, there’s a pretty good correlation between those two categories.”
The same thing played out when Cirrus aircraft were introduced.
“The Cirrus has the nickname geek killer,” Turner noted. “It’s just a function of when the airplane came in. The people who were most financially capable to jump into an airplane early in their flying career, at the time the Cirrus became a new thing, tended to be the dot-com folks.”
Turner notes that as planes have evolved, so has flight training.
“We know now how to teach people how to make the transition from a 172 into a complex airplane, whether it be ours or a Mooney or a Cirrus or something like that,” he said. “And we don’t see nearly the accident rates that we saw in the past.”
Making sure Bonanza pilots are the best they can be is one of the missions of the BPPP. Turner notes that about 3% to 5% of ABS members have participated in the actual flight training process — “not nearly as many as we would like.”
“We have a whole lot more participation in our online ground schools, which is extremely encouraging to me because that tells me that our members are actively seeking more information about how to fly these airplanes,” he said.
And while they may not be going through BPPP, more and more members are flying with instructors who have been trained by the ABS Air Safety Foundation.
“Our mantra is, ‘No matter where you train, your instructor should have access to what we’ve learned in over 30 years of training Beech pilots,’” he said. “If we’re going to have a significant positive effect on the accident rate of these airplanes, it’s much more effective for us to train flight instructors than it is to try to get every individual pilot.”
Imagine how much more demanding of preparedness for an aircraft trimmed for Va during a descent through IFR conditions with no horizon visible.
Typical scenario is one of aborting the controlled descent due to failure to break out as expected. Now the aircraft has to be reconfigured to climb, which probably goes smoothly…….. for a few moments.
If properly trained and proficient there will be no issue. HOWEVER for those not familiar with this realm of operation they will most likely get a real good look at the Bonanzas DARK SIDE.
Wings leave level condition…climb stops…nose drops…SPEED rises…all while under full power and trimmed for climb at perhaps 140. Pilot levels the wings and situation control seems to return…UNTIL it overshoots the correct attitude for safe controlled flight.
Now, Can you say PUSH PULL
45 seconds later the aircraft will have most likely entered a speed range no typically trained pilot was ever prepared for. A very good chance exists of it being while headed within 15 degrees of straight down.
Lets recap…Tight steep spiral at speeds approaching 270 while trimmed for a climb of 140.
in case you cant visualize this incredible buildup of inertial energy realize this…. it could almost loop itself, hands off, while squashing you in the seat at g forces you have probably never experienced…… IF you happen to have somehow succeeded in leveling the wings.
NOW can you say GRAY OUT………..BLACK OUT
Those on the ground only heard a few surges of RPM excursions…. and perhaps some clear audible whistling noise before the usual reported thunderclap like noise…. then followed by the Beech coming out of the clouds in pieces.
W T
Not to beat an already dead horse–there is probably is a correlation between being a doctor and being a poor pilot. But that is because there is a correlation between being a doctor and being a pilot. Some pilots are poor pilots. It follows there is also a correlation between being a doctor and being a great pilot. Some pilots are great pilots. The only thing notable by all this is that some doctors like to become pilots. This is probably because it’s a hobby they feel they can afford. You could say the same thing about any group that tends to become pilots, some are good and some not so good. That would include professional pilots!
Glynn … I didn’t realize Dee Thurmond’s Flight School was still in existence !! Those were really the “old days” … soloed there in 1958 !! Flying lots of interesting aircraft, mostly restored ex-USN aircraft. Drop me a direct email (rsugdenmd@gmail.com) and we can swap some aviation tales … Take a look at our FBO website, http://www.tetonaviation.com and http://www.migfuryfighters.com for some info on aviation activities …
Know your plane and its abilities like the back of your hand and don’t ask it to do things it was not designed to do and it will not ask you to do things you never wanna do!! Goes for your skill set as well. My old CFI would take the operators manuel flip it to a random page and ask something about the aircraft before every flight. You had better know it or no flying till you had a complete fundamental understanding. I learned so much about how and why things were the way they were and the basic mechanics/physics behind it. Learned how the actual manifold pressure gauge works and what it actually is measuring not just a number. Anyhow I’m a Dr been flying 20+ yrs and hope to continue safely for many more!! To Lump Drs as a group as bad pilots is non sense.
Doctors tend to be upper middle class and so can afford nice aircraft. Many of them fly infrequently and are more prone to problems due to less time in the air. Knowing the plane is important but the chief way to stay safe is to fly often and stay familiar with the plane.
As a doctor/aviator for some 58 years now, and following the “doctors-make-bad-pilots” stories for most of those years, I CAN tell you it makes a big difference if a pilot becomes a doctor vs. a doctor becoming a pilot… Everything in medicine is “grey” (opinion v. fact) while most of aviation is pretty simple physics (except weather) … throw in a big ego and pressing schedule and you have a bad combination re. safety. As a young USN flight surgeon at the Navy’s flight test center at Patuxent River I saw several outstanding pilots kill themselves due to poor planning … so if it can happen to those w. the “Right Stuff”, it could certainly happen to me… a “wake up” that made a HUGE impression. My $.02…
Hey, Dick
Glynn Falcon from Dee Thurmond Flight Services in San Jose, CA. Good to see your post. I just bought a V35B, after a little bad luck with my Arrow.
What are you flying these days?
But that wasn’t a doctor, some are great, but the rest are terrible, I had one that was typical, I finally refused to fly with him, I told him that I did not want my name in his logbook when he wrecked his bonanzas and killed himself, boss damn near fired me over it, he went to another FBO, got his private, the very next day killed himself and 3 friends in a 172. The feds still called me about him when they found my name in his logbook.
What makes Doctors great at what they do tends to make them terrible as pilots, I still say that overall they are the second worst students, right behind Priests and right ahead of Lawyers Followed closely by accountants and Engineers, Gie me kids, 14-18 any day to teach to fly, for the most part they are awesome followed by housewives.
Pure nonsense. There is ZERO correlation between being an MD and the accident stats. It is pure myth and frankly a pretty malicious thing to repeat. It’s like generalizing on old pilots or women or pick your favorite group. I’d bet it more likely mechanics and blue-collar guys crash more because they tend to be more macho…how about that for generalizing?
With our Cardinal I seldom did a W&B calc unless really at max loads. Now with the ’68 E33 I routinely do W&B specifically to always know where aft CG is gonna be as fuel burns off. If the numbers are bad we change stuff to make them good. Then we go have fun!
Had a “certified” dot-com geek as a student for a while. Bright guy, got bored with 150s and Cherokees, wanted to go faster. Decided to buy a Cirrus before he even had his license, and did. I warned him about buying more airplane than he could fly safely, and wonder of wonders, he LISTENED and hired a pilot to fly him around while he accumulated hours and experience.
One fine day, the rented pilot overran the runway and wrecked the Cirrus. He fired the guy, insurance totaled the Cirrus, and the dot-com guy bought an Eclipse! He’d learned the lesson, he hired a (different and hopefully better) appropriately rated pilot to fly the Eclipse.
Sometimes they DO listen . . .
I remember one prominent cardiologist, here at GJT, who after completing flight training bought, and insisted that his flight instructor transition and train him in this aircraft. The flight instructor made the good doctor sign a waiver, releasing him of any liability should the low-time pilot doctor auger it in and “buy the farm,” as it is said. End of story, the doctor later had the good sense to sell the V tail Bonanza, after a few close calls, and realizing the expense of owning one.
I totally agree about Doctors for the most part, but a considerable portion are totally insufferable, will not listen, will not follow directions and have all of the answers, even when they do not understand the questions, they destroy bonanzas, mooneys, 310s and whatever they get their hands on.
Jim Macklin describes the Bonanza very well. I’ve flown the J, K, and M35’s. Prior to being checked out in the M first, I was half scared to death from all the doctor killer stories. So……., got myself a copy of “Flying the Beech Bonanza” from Sporty’s and read it. Outside of all the formula stuff it’s an outstanding book for a new bonanza pilot to read. Then came the check out, strictly “old school”. Set in the thing on the ground until you can identify where all the important stuff is by touch, learn your numbers and trim / power settings. Then came the fun part. Eased into the power for the first take off to get a feel for it, slight back pressure on the wheel to take the pressure off the nose and it flew off on it’s own. Cleaned it up made a slight power reduction and guess what; airspeed right on best rate of climb speed. Made a turn out from the airport looked over at my grinning dad and said it can’t be this easy! He just laughed and said “This is just an old man’s airplane. Learn it, respect it and you’ll find great enjoyment in it. Disrespect it and it will kill ya just as quick as Cessna 150 or a Cub will it you don’t respect them either.” Then we went up and did the “scary stuff”, slow flight, stalls, speed ranges with various flap / gear and power settings. That’s been a few years ago now and i still enjoy the Bonanza. Like any aircraft, respect it, learn it, really fly the thing not just point a to point b, go out and practice the “scary stuff”, and it will be an outstanding aircraft for anyone.
Actually, the doctors involved were stubborn, thick headed idiots, who destroyed Bonanzas with their poor abilities. The second worst students are doctors and they carry it over all through their flying careers. I love the V tail airplanes, have hundreds of hours flying and instructing in them, they don’t fish tail unless the pilot is one of the lazy ones who insists on putting his feet on the floor and driving the airplane, they are slippery, but if properly taught any descent pilot can safely handle one. I prefer them to the straight tails.
What nonsense. Before the Bonanza redesigned the structural integrity of the tail it was non-airworthy and a killer no matter who piloted. Generalizing on MDs is automatically a lost argument. Most MDs have an IQ over 140 and are easily able to gain both skill and understanding over any run-of-the-mill CFI.
We own an old H-35. I am a retired aircraft mechanic and have always marveled at the way Beech designed the V-tail. Why would an engineer not realize that the one spar in the middle of the structure would not be resistant to tail-flutter without sufficient restraint from twisting?
The “Cuffs” totally cured the problem but they were a long time coming….and such an elegantly simple solution.
I have no complaints about the way the airplane flies…but as a mechanic, old Bonanzas are a pain and the landing gear transmission grease makes them smell like an old tractor. We love it anyway.
Don’t you know John is Gods gift to aviation?
Coming from a pilot with over 15,000 hours experience AND a medical profession that works very closely with physicians, I can tell you first hand that you are clueless….
“Most MDs have an IQ over 140 and are easily able to gain both skill and understanding over any run-of-the-mill CFI.”
that comment right there is exactly why the stereotype exists. Knowledge and experience are two very different things. lets pretend the Doctor has a 140 IQ and the CFI only has a 110. the CFI has thousands of hours more time in the pilots seat than the MD does. That arrogance about his intelligence is what causes the MD to brush off the advice from the CFI and end up dying when a situation they cant handle arises mid flight and the MD ends up in an obituary.
John,
Anyone who generalizes about people shows their ignorance before the conversation even discusses the facts. But then facts probably don’t matter to you, only the ratings you put on your note, trying to show you are the all knowing. Sounds like junior aviator stuff to me. Please give your opinion without bashing your fellow aviators, including doctors.
Tom (I have all the ratings and tens of thousands of hours, but who cares?)
What is a “descent” pilot? I am a decent pilot
The real name in the 50s and 60s was forked tail doctor killer, and the forked (V) tail was a big part of the problem, as in out of balance flutter tail casting failure. As described by a pilot with his family on board on a clear VFR day over Los Angles, telling over his radio, as each part came off the aircraft. But the doctor part makes a good story. The straight tails are good aircraft.
The V-tail is lighter, has less wetted surface area, so thus produces less induced and parasitic drag.
The Cirrus SF50 and Eclipse 400 jets are V-tail to allow the engine to be outside the airframe.
In the mid-1980s, the FAA grounded the Beechcraft Bonanz. While the Bonanza met the initial certification requirements, it had a history of fatal mid-air breakups during extreme stress. The type was deemed airworthy and restrictions removed after Beechcraft issued a structural modification as an Airworthiness Directive.
Beechcraft denied any problems with the 35 series and refused to amend the design. Then came the model 33 Debonair, a full 3 axis controled ship. Personally I like the airplane, performance, but had a disdain for the hula dance the V tail put on in chop.
It took former engineers to come up with the V tail cuff for the loads this efficient plane could receive from ill equipped pilots. I bought one from a two doctor family who owned theirs for 30 years without any accident or incident. Most economical plane that would carry 4 people.
Maybe doctors are bonanza and cirrus killers.
Doctor killer is applied to aircraft most people envy but cannot afford. The same erroneous phrase was applied to Cirrus aircraft for the same reasons. Doctors tend to be upper middle class and so can afford nice aircraft. Many of them fly infrequently and are more prone to problems due to that…not due tot he aircraft.
In 1947 the Bonanza had only 4 seats and 165 hp. It was high performance compared to the 37 hp Piper Cub or the other low performance aircraft.
But many of the pilots flying the Bonanza had been flyong P40, P38, P47 and P51 . The $8,000 Bonanza was out of reach for the new pilots.
But there are two traps with the Bonanza. It is high performance because if you lose control and get into a spiral, the normal cruise speed is above the designed maneuvering speed and the slick aerodynamics meant that the Va speed would be exceeded and the aircraft is trimmed for a speed at or above Va.
The dive/spiral speed will be way above the trim speed. Rolling out of a spiral turn requires power reduction, aileron to level the wings and forward pressure on the control wheel to prevent the trim tab from doing a 6 G pull-up.
The procedure taught in the FAA books saying roll level and PULL the nose up.
To demonstrate this in your airplane, slow to a stable low speed, Vs+10 knots and trim for that speed. Then roll into a 45 degree bank hands off. When the speed has increased to near Va, use one finger to press the aileron to recover and note the rapid pitch change and Gs caused by the trim and changed vector.
The second Bonanza problem is that the pilot sits on the forward CG limit and the fuel is the only weight in front of the CG limit. And at high GW the forward CG limit moves rearward and the aft limit moves forward. On a modern Bonanza with a 3,400 lb gw, at 3500 pounds there is no safe CG limit, no stability, no control feedback.
Great airplane, but you have to know how to fly and know the limits and NEVER exceed the zero fuel CG weight and CG limit.
Correction to the above. In the BE35 the pilot sits on the aft CG limit not the front.
CG really matters.
BTW, I taught the ABS about this back in the 1980s.