- Date
- January 19, 1991, 18:15 local (Jan 20, 1991, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bessemer, AL
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4827WRockwell 114
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910119000749A
- Case key
- 8305
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
Failure of the pilot to follow instrument flight rules (IFR) and maintain the minimum descent altitude (mda) during the VOR approach. Factors related to the accident were: darkness and the adverse weather conditions.
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 flight was cleared for the runway five approach. Current weather had been issued which included the altimeter setting for birmingham. No mechanical problem had been reported and the flight appeared normal. The last radar hit indicated that the flight was at 1300 feet early in the approach. Subsequently, the aircraft crashed about four miles southwest of the airport. Impact occurred with the tops of trees that were in a valley about 200 feet below the airport elevation. Wreckage was scattered over a 350 foot area and diagonal slash marks were found on tree limbs throughout the area. The airport elevation was 699 feet. Minimum descent altitude (mda) for the approach was 1260 feet. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the aircraft was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4827W
- Reported as
- Rockwell 114
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 14157
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-T4B5D, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frank, Randal W.
- Departed
- STF · Starkville, MS
- Destination
- 2A3 · Bessemer, AL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 114 · Bessemer, runway 5, 5,700 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Observed at
- 2A3, 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.