- Date
- December 8, 1990, 16:23 local (22:23 UTC)
- Place
- Dunlap, TN
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5147MBeech 23C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901208053259A
- Case key
- 8360
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to use the carburetor heat properly, which resulted in the formation of carburetor ice, followed by a complete loss of engine power. Factors to this accident were carburetor icing conditions and the rough and uneven terrain at the crash site.
Analysis
While cruising at 4000 feet, the engine quit. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but failed. The airplane crshed in a rock pit where it sustained major structural damage to the undercarriage. Fuel was in both tanks when examined at the accident site. The airplane examination also failed to disclose any mechanical problem which would have prevented normal operation. The engine operated normally during the functional examination. However, the icing probability curve indicated the possibility of carburetor ice formation. The airplane was equipped with an operational carburetor heat system.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5147M
- Reported as
- Beech 23C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-2035
- Airframe hours
- 2,600
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Winchester, John L.
- Departed
- CHA · Chattanooga, TN
- Destination
- M54 · Lebanon, TN
- 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,395 total · 25 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 135° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Observed at
- CHA, 37 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.