- Date
- October 30, 1992, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Waynesburg, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6581RBeech B24R
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11879
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
VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from the terrain/obstructions. Factors related to the accident were the pilot's lack of a preflight weather briefing, and the adverse weather conditions.
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
Without receiving a weather briefing, the non instrument rated pilot departed under VFR conditions and encountered instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot stated that he descended to remain below the cloud ceiling which he estimated to be about '50 feet above the hills,' and he realized he was approaching too close to terrain so he began a climb into the clouds. He initiated a 180 degree turn in an attempt to exit the clouds; however, during this maneuver, the airplane impacted a guy wire from a radio tower. The left wing was damaged, but the pilot was able to execute a landing at a nearby airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6581R
- Reported as
- Beech B24R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MC-303
- Airframe hours
- 2,644
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Michael G. Mesich
- Registered owner
- Michael G. Mesich
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 26, 1991 · 195 hours before
- Departed
- CKB · Clarksburg, WV
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
- 19
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 301 total · 260 in this make and model · 243 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MGW, 20 nm away