- Date
- March 14, 1991, 16:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Princeton, WV
- Injuries
- 4 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3529YCessna 182F
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910314005379A
- Case key
- 11622
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 inflight decision which resulted in airframe icing.
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 on an ILS approach when he encountered airframe icing. The pilot was advised earlier of icing conditions in the area, so he delayed his descent to minimize exposure to the conditions. During the approach some of his passengers noticed ice accretion on the airframe. The pilot reported that soon afterwards, the airplane began to roll from left to right with a simultaneous loss of airspeed, despite the engine operating the entire time. He was unable to maintain altitude and the airplane descended below the clouds over a residential area. The airplane subsequently struck two houses, coming to a stop when it struck the second house. The examination of the airplane did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3529Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 182F
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas O. Metcalfe, Jr.
- Registered owner
- Thomas O. Metcalfe
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- CAE · Columbia, SC
- Destination
- BLF · Bluefield, VA
- 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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BLF, 5 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.