- Date
- December 9, 1988, 06:00 local (11:00 UTC)
- Place
- Alcoa, TN
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N120GAero Commander 720
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report March 26, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881209053319A
- Case key
- 7867
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
After encountering icing conditions in flight and experiencing problems maintaining altitudes and headings, the pilot elected to divert from his planned destination of dayton, oh to knoxville, TN. While on final approach after descending 1300 ft below minimum procedure turn altitude followed by being told the aircraft was well above the glideslope, ATC instructed the pilot to maintain 3000 ft. shortly thereafter, ATC reported the mode c indicated 1900. The pilot responded with 'engine quit'. The aircraft crashed in a pasture about 1 mile from the airport. The investigation revealed that the aircraft was not equipped to operate in icing conditions. The evidence indicated that the flaps and landing gear were extended. Approximately 40 lbs of cocaine were found onboard the aircraft. The tox report for the pilot disclosed .05 mg/l benzoylecgonite (cocaine metabolite) in his blood. The pilot had received a weather briefing which included a freezing level at 7000 ft and filed a flight plan requesting a cruising altitude of 14000 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N120G
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 720
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 720-630-3
- Engine
- Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6, 340 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Commuter Craft Inc.
- Registered owner
- Commuter Craft Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FLL · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- TYS · Alcoa, TN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TYS · Mcghee Tyson, runway 5L, 8,006 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,103 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 30° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.