- Date
- April 6, 1989, 12:58 local (16:58 UTC)
- Place
- Rupert, WV
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9502CBeech C35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11458
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
Pilot inadvertantly flew into IMC while trying to maintain VFR and collided with trees during a steep turn during his attempt to turn away from IMC. The weather conditions that were determined to be factors in this accident were: low ceilings, obscuration, snow, and turbulence.
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 pvt plt and 3 pax dptd parkersburg (pkb) en route to lewisburg (lwb). Although no witnesses could be found who saw the accident, a lady did observe an acft flying toward lwb at an alt of aprx 700-800 ft AGL as it passed over her residence which was at an elevation of 2,600 ft AGL. She indicated that the ceiling was solid overcast above the acft and that the engine sounded normal. Examination of the 3,800 ft MSL wreckage site did not revealany preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airframe or engine. A CFI flying 5 miles southeast of the accident site about 45 minutes prior to the accident observed mountain tops that were totally obscured by clouds and heavy snow showers.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9502C
- Reported as
- Beech C35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-3261
- Airframe hours
- 5,631
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jon M. Metz
- Registered owner
- Jon M Metz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 3, 1989 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- PKB · Parkersburg, WV
- Destination
- LWB · Lewisburg, WV
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 445 total · 187 in this make and model · 383 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast