- Date
- July 1, 1986, 23:39 local (Jul 2, 1986, 03:39 UTC)
- Place
- Lynchburg, VA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N133PBeech 95-B 55
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860701087369A
- Case key
- 11212
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
The non-instrument rated pilot filed an IFR flight plan into known and forecast IFR weather. During his second ILS approach to the airport, after the control tower had closed, he failed to utilize the aircraft radio to illuminate the approach lighting system. The pilot failed to locate the runway environment in sufficient time to complete the ILS landing. Thereafter, he lost control of the aircraft while attempting to circle underneath the 300 foot ceiling on the dark night and the aircraft crashed into trees on the airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N133P
- Reported as
- Beech 95-B 55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC829
- Airframe hours
- 3,741
- Engine
- Continental IO-470 L, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Michael R. Drinkard
- Registered owner
- Graf Bae Farm, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 20, 1985 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- BUF · Buffalo, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LYH · Lynchburg Municipal, runway 3, 5,799 × 150 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 275 total · 79 in this make and model · 188 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LYH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.