Pilot Reported Engine Trouble

The NTSB will investigate Wednesday's crash of a Beech H-35 into a vacant house near Reno, Nevada -- a crash that claimed the lives of both people onboard the aircraft.

"There is nothing left of the plane," Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Ron Larson told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "There's no way there could be any survivors."

The V-tailed Bonanza (file photo of type, below) went down just a few minutes after taking off from Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and was registered to a California man -- John Monday of Laguna Beach. But at this point, investigators aren't saying if Monday himself was on board.

A spokesman for the Nevada Highway Patrol says officers saw the plane in trouble. They saw it going down and rushed to the scene. When they got there, the found an unoccupied duplex on fire. Officials say the aircraft and everything inside it was completely destroyed.

"I saw it coming over the horizon," said one witness, Mike Trimm. "The wings waved back and forth and back and forth. It was flying way too low and it just dived right down into the house."

According to the FAA Preliminary Report (below,) the aircraft's pilot reported an engine problem after takeoff, and was trying to land.

**   Report created 6/8/2006   Record 1
*******************************

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 5455D        Make/Model: BE35      Description: 35 Bonanza
  Date: 06/07/2006     Time: 2205

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: RENO   State: NV   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT ON ATTEMPT TO LAND AFTER REPORTING ENGINE PROBLEM ON TAKEOFF,  CRASHED
  INTO A RESIDENCE, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED,  RENO, NV

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: 2210Z 2801G25 10SM CLR 31/-03 2993

OTHER DATA

  Departed: RENO, NV                    Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: CORONA, CA               Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: RENO, NV  (WP11)                      Entry date: 06/08/2006

FMI: www.ntsb.gov