- Date
- February 5, 1991, 09:57 local (14:57 UTC)
- Place
- Sidney, OH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3822BBeech F.35
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910205001639A
- Case key
- 14894
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 pilot's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors in the accident were the pilot's disregard for directives and overconfidence in his ability.
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 private pilot departed with out a flight plan in instrument meteorological conditions for a destination 20 miles north. The airplane was observed 75 feet above ground following a country road leading to the airport. The pilot asked for field elevation on UNICOM. The airport manager responded and informed him the field had zero visibility and ceiling. Immediately thereafter, witnesses heard the airplane overfly the field followed by the sound of a crash. The airplane was found 250 yeards from the field, where it colided with trees atop a steeply rising bluff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3822B
- Reported as
- Beech F.35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-4083
- Airframe hours
- 4,805
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles T. Groff
- Registered owner
- Charles T. Groff
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 20, 1990 · 53 hours before
- Departed
- DAY · Dayton, OH
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
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 22 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAY, 20 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.