- Date
- March 2, 1991, 12:56 local (20:56 UTC)
- Place
- Carmel Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3846XBeech BE-77
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910302003699A
- Case key
- 27125
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 failure of the PIC to supervise a non-certificated pilot and to maintain adequate airspeed with subsequent collision with trees. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the PIC to obtain a weather briefing and assess hazardous wind conditions and overconfidence in the pilot's ability to deal with the weather and airplane performance issues.
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 certificated commercial pilot and a non-certificated passenger, both co-owners of the airplane, departed the airport with the passenger at the controls. After takeoff, the airplane encountered turbulence, gusty winds and wind shear and was unable to climb over about 300 feet above ground level. The pilot-in-command took over the controls and began maneuvering the airplane to avoid rising terrain and attempted to gain orographic lift from surrounding hills. With the stall warning sounding, the airplane struck a tree on a ridge line about 1 mile from the airport. The airplane then descended through several other trees and was destroyed. A SIGMET was in effect for low level wind shear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3846X
- Reported as
- Beech BE-77
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- WA-243
- Airframe hours
- 2,445
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Burford A. Carlson
- Registered owner
- Burford A. Carlson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 1990 · 92 hours before
- Departed
- 062 · Carmel Valley, CA
- Destination
- SNS · Salinas, CA
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,661 total · 51 in this make and model · 3,200 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 0.1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MRY, 9 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.