- Date
- May 30, 1984, 01:44 local (05:44 UTC)
- Place
- Chalkhill, PA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5523Lockheed L-188
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 19840530038939A
- Case key
- 15808
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
After departing the baltimore-washington arpt, the acft had climbed to FL 220. According to info on the cockpit voice recorder (vcr), the crew experienced gyro problems during the climb. They selected the #1 vertical gyro to drive both approach horizons (attitude indicators), since there was an indication of a malfunction in the #2 vertical gyro sys. About 7 min after leveling at FL 220, the flt was cleared to the dryer VOR. Shortly after that, there were indications of confusion in the cockpit which included the statements, 'what's happening here,' 'you got it?' & 'no.' the acft entered a right descending spiral; the indicated airspeed increased from aprx 205 to 317 KTS; then an in-flt breakup occurred. The wreckage was found scattered over an area aprx 2 mi long by 1 mi wide. An exam of the wreckage revealed that the in-flt structural failure had occurred due to overload, then a fire ignited in the right wing after it had failed. The acft was not equipped with an independent standby attitude indicator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5523
- Reported as
- Lockheed L-188
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1034
- Airframe hours
- 35,668
- Engine
- Allison 501-D13, 3,750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Zantop Int'L Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · May 13, 1984 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- Baltimore, MD
- Destination
- Ypsilanti, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 37
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,047 total · 7,173 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MGW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.