- Date
- April 10, 1990, 14:10 local (19:10 UTC)
- Place
- Le Compte, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7968MBeech B35-C33A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900410011549A
- Case key
- 23018
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 continuation of VFR flight into IMC. Factors were the pilot's failure to obtain a pre-flight weather brief and his inadequate evalution of existing 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
There was no evidence that the non-instrument rated pilot received a weather brief. He departed under VMC but encountered, and was in the vicinity of at the time of the accident, intense level 5 thunderstorms. These storms contained heavy rain and moderate to severe, and possibly extreme, turbulence. The thunderstorms were embedded in clouds layered to about 10,000 feet. Existing weather forecasts were substantially correct and there was adequate warning of the thunderstorm activity. Impact occurred approximately 80 degrees nose down in a muddy field. The engine was recovered from a crater 20 feet deep. All components of the airplane were in or around the impact crater. The pilot had delayed his departure for two days prior to the accident. He had jury duty in the vicinity of his destination on the day following the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7968M
- Reported as
- Beech B35-C33A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CE-99
- Airframe hours
- 4,167
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA2, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John R. Detweiler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 19, 1990
- Departed
- ADS · Addison, TX
- Destination
- SRQ · Sarasota, FL
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,432 total · 857 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ESF, 16 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.