- Date
- September 11, 1991, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Killdeer, ND
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N393BBeech 95
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910911039279A
- Case key
- 14918
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 disregarding the weather forecast; his improper in-flight decision to continue a VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions; and his failure to maintain adequate clearance from terrain. The mountainous hilly terrain and low ceiling were factors related to the accident.
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 pilot with over 17,000 hours flight time received a weather brief which reported low ceilings along his planned route of flight, and VFR flight was not recommended. He elected to go VFR and did not file a flight plan. Low ceilings were right where the weather briefer said they were reported to be, and they were obscuring the top of a mountain. The aircraft hit the side of the mountain about 100 feet below the crest.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N393B
- Reported as
- Beech 95
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TD-5
- Airframe hours
- 3,590
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James H. Morten
- Registered owner
- Dakota Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 18, 1991 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- 95D · Beulah, ND
- Destination
- MLK · Malta, MT
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.