- Date
- October 5, 1991, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Carrabelle, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3673XAero Commander 100
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911005044899A
- Case key
- 32966
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 non instrument-rated pilot-in-command's decision to continue flight into known instrument meteorological conditions (thunderstorm) and failure to maintain airspeed (vso) while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident was the pilot-in-command's failure to obtain a weather briefing and to ensure that required VFR day flight instruments were installed.
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 non instrument-rated pilot departed on a VFR cross-country flight without obtaining a weather briefing. The airplane was not equipped with the required VFR day flight equipment. The pilot encountered a thunderstorm. While maneuvering the airplane, the pilot experienced an in-flight loss of control for failure to maintain airspeed (vso). This resulted in stall/spin, and collision with terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3673X
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 100
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 319
- Airframe hours
- 2,799
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald R. Chilton
- Registered owner
- James D. Frame
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 27, 1988 · 207 hours before
- Departed
- F47 · St. Jorge Isl., FL
- Destination
- 2J9 · Quincy, FL
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 497.7 total · 248.1 in this make and model · 446.6 as pilot in command · 8.1 in the last 90 days · 5.3 in the last 30 days · 0.3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AQQ, 17 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.