- Date
- July 15, 1992, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, GA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3810LBeech 58P
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920715025689A
- Case key
- 8514
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
Continued flight by the pilot into an area of known adverse weather, and his failure to maintain control of the aircraft, which resulted in exceeding the design stress limits of the plane and overload failure of the stabilizers and wings. The adverse weather (with thunderstorms) was a related factor.
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 departed memphis, Tennessee on an IFR flight to brunswick, Georgia. The pilot had received three weather briefings before departure and was aware of the possibility of severe weather along his route of flight. The aircraft was equipped with weather avoidance equipment. The pilot communicated to radar controllers that he was in some turbulence and wished to land at the nearest airport. While being vectored to an airport, he radioed that he was in a thunderstorm and that 'he could not control anything.' An in-flight separation of the empennage and wings occurred, and the aircraft crashed. Witnesses reported that at the time of the accident, there was heavy rain, lightning, and thunder in the area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3810L
- Reported as
- Beech 58P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TJ336
- Airframe hours
- 2,153
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-WB, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Harris, John C.
- Registered owner
- H.J.W., Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 26, 1992 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- MEM · Memphis, TN
- Destination
- SSI · St Simon Island, GA
- 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 524 total · 31 in this make and model · 326 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CSG, 25 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.