- Date
- August 12, 1992, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Guntersville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N416HCBeech A36
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920812031119A
- Case key
- 8646
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 pilot's inadequate evaluation of the in flight weather conditions, and his subsequent loss of aircraft control, which resulted in the design stress limits of the aircraft being exceeded. Factors were clouds, the associated turbulence, and the hail in the clouds.
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 pilot was proceeding to his destination at flight level 210, between cloud layers. He was approaching a cloud cell, and requested to deviate to the north. The pilot noticed nothing on his weather radar, and he decided to continue on course after a VFR aircraft ahead of him reported no significant turbulence. As he entered the cloud formation, there was 'one very hard hit of turbulence', with associated ice and hail. He then lost control of the aircraft. After a loss of about 10,000 feet of altitude, he was able to regain aircraft control. During the recovery, he noticed the airspeed in excess of 'red line.' He landed the airplane at a nearby airport without further incident. An FAA inspector determined that the aircraft was structurally damaged in flight. Ntap radar data shows that the flight penetrated an area of heavy weather returns.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N416HC
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-2408
- Engine
- Allison 250B17C, 420 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Trees Unlimited, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Trees Unlimited, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- LIT · Little Rock, AR
- Destination
- PDK · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 102 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command · 205 in the last 90 days · 105 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HSV, 29 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.