- Date
- April 3, 1982, 13:12 local (18:12 UTC)
- Place
- Darien, GA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4382WBeech A36
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 3, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820403007709A
- Case key
- 70406
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 pilot filed a VFR flight plan, but did not activate it after takeoff. While en route, he encountered deteriorating weather and obtained an IFR clearance. As he continued, he entered an area of thunderstorms, turbulence, and heavy rain. As the pilot was about to depart the area of bad weather, the aircraft turned nearly 180 degrees and began heading toward the edge of a thunderstorm. The pilot was advised of his heading deviation and was provided a vector away from the storm and back on course. At about the same time, two witnesses on the ground heard an aircraft in the same area. They reported that the engine was revving as if the plane was diving up and down. Both reported that the plane sounded like it was leaving the area, then it returned and circled before crashing. The plane impacted in a right bank, nose low attitude. After impact, the wreckage scattered over a 200 by 400 ft area. An examination of the engine revealed no precrash failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4382W
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12532
- Airframe hours
- 1,250
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- W F Thompson
- Registered owner
- W F Thompson
- Departed
- New Bern, NC
- Destination
- Palatha, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 20 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 176 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SSI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.