- Date
- October 24, 1983, 16:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4TSBeech BE90C
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831024055339A
- Case key
- 12373
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
At 1604 EST, the acft departed Fort Wayne on a ferry flt. IFR conditions prevailed & the plt had filed an IFR flt plan. While climbing after takeoff, the plt passed his assigned alt of 2500 ft MSL & flew to 4200 ft. also, he failed to turn to his initial assigned heading of 130 deg. He had problems contacting departure control as he was not on the assigned freq. He reported problems with his heading indicator & his 'gyro'. Shortly after his last transmission, the acft left 4200 ft MSL & crashed in a steep dive. Before takeoff, the ATP plt reported he had flown all king air acft & was currently flying the Beech 200. A review of his last log book revealed over 2000 hrs in the Beech 200, but showed no time in the Beech C90. A witness that reviewed the acft with the plt before the flt believed he (the plt) was very familiar with the acft systems. During an inspection of the wreckage, no evidence was found to verify a preimpact malfunction or failure of the acft or eng. All instruments were destroyed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4TS
- Reported as
- Beech BE90C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LJ541
- Airframe hours
- 3,821
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-6/C20, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Taubert & Stweed
- Registered owner
- Lightning Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 20, 1983 · 51 hours before
- Departed
- FWA · Ft. Wayne, IN
- Destination
- TUL · Tulsa, IN
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,980 total · 18,709 as pilot in command · 182 in the last 90 days · 64 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FWA, 8 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.