- Date
- December 14, 1985, 15:38 local (20:38 UTC)
- Place
- Carp Lake, MI
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N24RTBeech B-60
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851214061979A
- Case key
- 13534
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
Drg arrival, the plt reported a problem with his #1 nav, but said he would try to make an ILS apch. He said he would return to pontiac, if his ILS did not work. ARTCC cleared him for the ILS rwy 32 apch & instructed him to contact pellston radio (fss). At 1525, he called the fss & reported he was 20 mi south. At aprx 1534, the fss specialist heard an acft fly over, but did not know if it was N24RT. He asked the plt if he was making a missed apch. The plt gave a negative reply & reported he was picking up the glide slope, then said he was having trouble with his #1 nav. A witness about 6 mi north & west of the arpt saw the acft on a northerly heading at about 200 ft AGL. About 1 min later, the acft collided with trees, crashed & burned aprx 8 mi from the arpt at an aprx elev of 900 ft. the arpt elev was 720 ft. the nav equipment was too badly damaged drg the acdnt to be tested. According to the acft radio log, the last VOR check was on 9/10/83. The plt had logged 5.4 hrs of instrument time drg the prev 6 mos, but had not logged any apchs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24RT
- Reported as
- Beech B-60
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P-329
- Airframe hours
- 2,684
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-541-E1C4, 380 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Commander Charter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 18, 1985 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- PIK · Pontiac, MI
- Destination
- PLN · Pellston, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PLN · Emmet County, runway 32, 6,512 × 150 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 910 total · 9 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 16 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PLN, 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.