- Date
- October 25, 1989, 20:40 local (Oct 26, 1989, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Nokesville, VA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Other
- Aircraft
- N86MCBeech 58P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891025042789A
- Case key
- 11536
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
Improper installation of the elevator trim actuators, and subsequent jamming of the elevator trim in a nose down trim position.
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
After taking off at ngt on rwy 34L, the acft was mnvrd to a left dnwnd (same rwy). According to witnesses, the eng(s) went to a hi pwr setting on dnwnd, but the acft speed rmnd slow. Apchg (abeam) midfield, the acft turned left, then wentinto a dscnt & crashed west of the arpt. Impact was on an ese hdg, in a 15 to 17 deg dscnt. The left fuel slctr was fnd in the 'off' psn, but the actuating cable had pulled thru the housing (presumably drg impact). The rgt fuel slctr was on. Both props sepd fm the crankshaft with evidence of torsional failure. There was a history of elevator trim (e/t) problems. Just bfr this flt, maint had been performed on the e/t. e/t actuators were fnd reversed, which reversed the drctn of trim. Both e/t tabs were fnd byd the full nose dwn trim psn. Calculated force to override at the full nose dwn psn was: 121 to 136 lbs at 100 KTS, 197 to 203 lbs at 150 KTS, 200 to 305 lbs at 200 KTS. Also, e/t chain was fnd off ofthe sprocket & jammed btn the brg plate & a bracket; 1 of 2 bolts was missing fm brg plate; otr bolt was finger tight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86MC
- Reported as
- Beech 58P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TJ-406
- Airframe hours
- 1,182
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-WB, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- West Springfield Aviation Svcs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 22, 1989 · 36 hours before
- Airport
- W10 · Manassas Muni, runway 34, 3,700 × 100 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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,284 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 14 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.