- Date
- February 23, 1998, 06:01 local (14:01 UTC)
- Place
- Reno, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N236CPBeech 100
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report April 6, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980223037279I
- Case key
- 29966
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Ice formation around the elevator control cables due to plugged limbers and a water drain hole.
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 encountered restricted elevator control in-flight and completed an uneventful precautionary landing. During a postflight inspection, ice was found in the tail section of the aircraft which restricted the elevator control cables. The water drain and limber holes for this compartment were found plugged with debris.
Factual narrative
On February 23, 1998, at 0601 hours Pacific standard time, the pilot of a Beech 100, N236CP, declared an emergency due to no elevator control. The pilot returned to his departure point, made a low approach, and then landed safely at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Reno, Nevada, with no aircraft damage or injury to the solo airline transport pilot. The flight departed from Reno-Tahoe International and was being operated as an on-demand air charter. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a company flight plan had been filed.
During a postflight inspection, ice was observed in the tail section of the fuselage in an area that surrounds the elevator control cables. The "limber" holes that allow water drainage from section to section in the lower fuselage structure were found plugged with fibers from abraded cargo packages. Also, the dorsal fin drain hole for the entire compartment was found plugged with the same material. (See sketch in Section 10.00 of this report.)
Aircraft
- Registration
- N236CP
- Reported as
- Beech 100
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- BE-9
- Engine
- Airesearch TPE331-5&6SER, 776 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Victor Gonzales
- Registered owner
- Medic Air Evac
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RNO · NV
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.