- Date
- November 2, 1988, 10:13 local (15:13 UTC)
- Place
- Oak Grove, PA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N44Rockwell 1121A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 32511
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
Failure of the pilot in command to observe the rapid accretion of ice on the airplane due to his attention being diverted.
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
Acft entered an area of fcst mod icing. Ice detection sys had been intrmtly inop. The acft entered holding in icing condwhile ckg flt insp equip. Evidence indicated crew noted ice accretion, activated surface de-ice sys, ice broke loose andentered eng intakes. Both engs flamed out. Drg emerg descent crew init re-starts, but neither eng would sustain pwr. Crew rqstd vectors to more distant airport. Both plts were seen drinking prev night. C/p had recently lost drivers license for dui. Capt had decided to retire that day. C/p had worked in flt ops 3 days in 8 wks and had lmtd trng in fltinspection. Both plts had personal stresses which may have influenced performance. Capt's contaminated thoracic blood revealed 0.057% alcohol. Putrification would acct for part of alcohol level. C/p had trace alcohol in urine only. Both engs showed compressor FOD consistent with ice ingestion. No other acft sys or eng malfunction found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44
- Reported as
- Rockwell 1121A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 130
- Airframe hours
- 10,519
- Engine
- GE CJ-610-5, 2,950 horsepower, turbo jet
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Federal Aviation Admin.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 26, 1988 · 121 hours before
- Departed
- AGC · Pittsburgh, PA
- Destination
- LBE · Latrobe, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LBE · Westmoreland Co., runway 23, 5,501 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 64
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 16,957 total · 4,428 in this make and model · 13,000 as pilot in command · 94 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBE, 7 nm away