- Date
- January 6, 1989, 21:40 local (Jan 7, 1989, 03:40 UTC)
- Place
- New Braunfels, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1530ZBeech B33
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890107000259A
- Case key
- 22758
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 decision to continue VFR flight into IMC. Contributing factors were the adverse weather conditions and the dark night.
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
Pilot advised during wx briefing that possible IMC could be expected along flight route & that VFR flight was not recommended. Departed waco at 2032 CST for san antonio. At 2131 pilot contacted san antonio approach control, provided with local wx - ceiling 1,000 broken. Offered, but denied, IFR clearance. At 2135 pilot instructed to maintain VFR conditions. Pilot reported his altitude as 1,500 ft MSL. Aircraft impacted ground in cruise attitude at aprx 1,250 ft MSL. Pilot was in contact with ATC throughout entire flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1530Z
- Reported as
- Beech B33
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CD418
- Airframe hours
- 5,437
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-N(11), 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Woodward Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 17, 1988 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- ACT · Waco, TX
- Destination
- SAT · San Antonio, TX
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,110 total · 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAT, 17 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.