- Date
- March 29, 2022, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Odessa, TX · Occurred in flight - during RNAV29 approach
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 5 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N469SLBeech B200
- Defining event
- Approach: Clear air turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220329004419I
- Case key
- 104886
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 airplane’s encounter with severe clear air turbulence that was not forecasted, which resulted in a serious injury to an unrestrained passenger.
Findings · 6
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while descending at about 160 kts during an instrument approach in visual meteorological conditions with the autopilot engaged, and passing through 5,000 ft msl, the airplane encountered “a sudden pocket” of severe clear air turbulence for one second, resulting in the loss of about 300 ft of altitude. A passenger in the cabin, who was in the process of restraining himself when the turbulence encounter occurred, hit his head on the cabin ceiling and sustained a serious injury. The autopilot was turned off, the pilot continued with the approach, and the airplane landed at the destination airport without further incident. The airplane did not sustain any damage from the turbulence encounter. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that at the time of the accident, an AIRMET for moderate turbulence below 12,000 ft msl and high surface winds was active for the area. The passengers were verbally instructed by the pilot to make sure their restraint systems were fastened. The pilot activated the cabin seatbelt sign as an aural and visual warning as reinforcement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N469SL
- Reported as
- Beech B200 (None)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- BB-1036
- Built
- 1982
- Airframe hours
- 9,044
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52, 850 horsepower, turbo propPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52, 850 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Integrated Pain Associates, PLLC, doing business as Integrated Pain Associates, PLLC
- Registered owner
- Vole Enterprises, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 14, 2021
- Departed
- TPL · Temple, TX
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ODO · Odessa Airport-Schlemeyer Field, runway 29, 6,200 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Onboard weather
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
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 20, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 1,300 in this make and model · 3,800 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 26 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.47 inHg
- Turbulence
- Severe
- Observed at
- KODO, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KODO 292353Z AUTO 30026G33KT 6SM HZ CLR 29/M08 A2947 RMK AO2 PK WND 26047/2336 SLP932 60000 T02891083 10328 20278 55018 PWINO
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 25, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.