- Date
- March 28, 1984, 20:30 local (Mar 29, 1984, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Herndon, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N66KABeech C90
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 6348
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
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 acft entered an uncommanded dive at about 11,000 ft MSL, with recovery made below 2,000 ft MSL. Investigation revealed that during the descent, in order to accomodate other air traffic, the plt exceeded vne speeds. Shortly, thereafter the elevator trim system malfunctioned & jammed the trim in the full nose down trim position. When a brief flare-up of smoke & sparks erupted under the rt instrument panel on the lt side of the control column the plt delayed an emergency but did not relay information concerning the control problem. Post incident examination found the elevator trim tab cable broken at the trim servo, located under the aft cabin floor just forward of the cabin entrance door. Frayed in an irregular manner over a nine inch area, the loose cables became entangled in the electrical power diodes located beneath the control pedestal. Inspection revealed the friction clutch operated at too high torque & the cables were out of alignment causing heat to other components.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N66KA
- Reported as
- Beech C90
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LJ-582
- Airframe hours
- 3,900
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-20, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dominion Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 29, 1984 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- ROA · Roanoke, VA
- Destination
- IAD
- 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 94,004 total · 4,900 in this make and model · 7,650 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 50° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD
Other investigations on N66KA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.