- Date
- December 2, 1989, 14:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Lincoln, NM
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9PUBeech F-90
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891202048749A
- Case key
- 17812
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
Loss of control due to pilot disorientation while conducting a non precision instrument approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of instrument and multiengine experience, and the existing adverse weather.
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
Witnesses heard the airplane circling in the vicinity of the NDB. Other witnesses saw the airplane exit the cloud base in a near-vertical dive and impact the ground aprx 1 mile east and 1/2 mile north of the NDB.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9PU
- Reported as
- Beech F-90
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LA57
- Airframe hours
- 921
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-135, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- R.F.W., Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 21, 1989 · 153 hours before
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- SRR · Ruidoso, NM
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SRR · Sierra Bianca Regional, runway 24, 8,100 × 100 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 569 total · 92 in this make and model · 305 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SRR, 7 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.