- Date
- January 18, 1993, 18:29 local (Jan 19, 1993, 00:29 UTC)
- Place
- Dixie Inn, LA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N74DCBeech V35B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930118000619A
- Case key
- 18585
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 failure to maintain control for undetermined reasons.
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
The mode c readout had been intermittent during the flight; however, the pilot did not report any problems with the flight instruments or aircraft systems. Upon arrival in the destination area, the pilot was issued radar vectors and instructed to initiate a descent from 6,000 to 3,000 feet. The initial stage of the descent appeared normal on radar. However, upon reaching 5,100 feet, the target went into the coast mode and radar and radio contact was lost. The wreckage was found 2 days later, spread out over 200 feet through dense woods about 2.5 miles along the route of flight from the point of last radar contact. Investigation did not reveal any evidence of airframe, engine or systems failure and there was no evidence that icing conditions existed during the descent phase of the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N74DC
- Reported as
- Beech V35B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-9610
- Airframe hours
- 1,721
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA10, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Midwest Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Midwest Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 8, 1992 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- PAH · Paducah, KY
- Destination
- SHV · Shreveport, LA
- 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
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,673 total · 234 in this make and model · 3,594 as pilot in command · 86 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SHV, 28 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.