- Date
- February 17, 2003, 19:45 local (Feb 18, 2003, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Morristown, TN
- Injuries
- 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N100DABeech A36
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Nashville FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030217037659A
- Case key
- 56498
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/decision to initiate flight into known adverse weather conditions, resulting in the in-flight encounter with weather and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. A factor was airplane performance deteriorated due to structural ice.
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
According to the pilot, as the flight descended from 8100 feet the airplane began to pick up structural ice. The flight was cleared to descend to 5100 feet, and the airplane continued to collect structural ice. As the airplane continued to descended the pilot added power to maintain altitude. While on final approach to runway 05 the airplane was unable to maintain altitude and collided with terrain. No mechanical or flight control malfunctions were reported by the pilot prior to the accident. According to the Saint Petersburg Flight Service Station, the pilot was given a full weather briefing that reported icing conditions at the destination airport.
Factual narrative
On February 17, 2003 at 1945 eastern standard time, a Beech A36, N100DA, registered to and operated by a private pilot, reported severe in-flight icing and collided with terrain during approach to Moore-Murrell Airport, Morristown, Tennessee. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR part 91 with an instrument flight plan filed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and two passengers received minor injuries, and the airplane was substantially damage. The flight originated from Clearwater Airpark, Clearwater, Florida, on February 17, 2003 at 1600.
According to the pilot, as the airplane descended from 8,100 feet it began to pick up structural ice. The flight was cleared to descend to 5,100 feet, and the airplane continued to collect structural ice. As the airplane descended the pilot added power to maintain altitude. While on final approach to runway 05 the airplane was unable to maintain altitude, and the pilot maneuvered the airplane to avoid buildings. The airplane collided with ground, and came to rest in an industrial park one mile southwest of the airport. No mechanical or flight control malfunctions were reported by the pilot prior to the accident.
According to the Saint Petersburg Flight Service Station, on February 17, 2003, the pilot of N100DA called at 1453 eastern standard time, to file two-instrument flight plans and receive a standard weather briefing. The specialist filed the flight plans in the Model 1 Full Capacity system (M1FC) and gave the weather briefing. During the briefing the specialist informed the pilot that an AIRMET ZULU for icing was in effect for the state of Tennessee, occasional moderate RIME, MIXED ICING below 12,000 feet, and the freezing level appears to be around 4500 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N100DA
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-1670
- Airframe hours
- 3,268
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Victor J. Osborne
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 2, 2002 · 130 hours before
- Departed
- CLW · Clearwater, FL
- Destination
- MOR · Morristown, TN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MOR · Moore-Murrell, runway 05, 5,701 × 100 ft
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
- 46
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- June 21, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 746 total · 167 in this make and model · 687 as pilot in command · 93 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.