- Date
- September 28, 1990, 20:00 local (Sep 29, 1990, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N91665Navion L-17A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900928046379A
- Case key
- 14786
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
Poor judgement of the pilot due to impairment from consumption of alcohol and use of a drug, and his failure to maintain proper altitude/clearance above wooded terrain. Darkness was a related factor.
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
A witness rprtd the acft descended toward his home from the north, then it pulled up & banked to the southwest. The witness & his son ran behind the house to see what was going on. He rprtd the acft banked back to the east, then entered a descent & disappeared from his view. Subsequently, the acft collided with trees on an easterly heading. During impact, the acft was extensively damaged & wreckage was scattered over a 220 ft area. The witness noted that the engine sounded normal as the aircraft flew over his house. Toxicology tests of the pilot's blood & vitreous fluid showed alcohol levels of 173 mg/dl (0.173%) & 216 mg/dl (0.216%), respectively. Also, nordiazepam (a derivative of valium) was found in his blood at a level of 778 ng/ml.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91665
- Reported as
- Navion L-17A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NAV-4-414
- Engine
- Continental E-185-3, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Riley, Ronald E.
- Departed
- IRS · Sturgis, MI
- Destination
- CQA · Celina, OH
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.