- Date
- March 9, 1988, 23:47 local (Mar 10, 1988, 03:47 UTC)
- Place
- Nome, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5115CBeech B35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19880309004979A
- Case key
- 4946
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft sustained an in-flight breakup during the enroute phase of the flight. The left fitting that secures the front spars of the stabilizers to the fuselage revealed the presence of pre-existing fatigue cracking. The initial separation of the left stabilizer was indicative of an upward failure, with the initial separation in the front spar. The pilot was a certified A&P mechanic. No pilot or aircraft logs were recovered. No evidence was found indicating maintenance being performed by persons other than the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5115C
- Reported as
- Beech B35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D2399
- Engine
- Continental E-185-8, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Reginald Spencer Bickford, doing business as Belmont Cab Co.
- Registered owner
- Reginald Specer Bickford
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MCG · Mcgrath, AK
- Destination
- OME · Nome, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,600 total · 100 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 20° at 20 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.