- Date
- March 17, 1990, 10:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Fordyce, AR
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3520RBeech A23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900317004609A
- Case key
- 34943
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 passenger's intentional interference with the flight by seizing the controls and shutting off the engine.
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 pilot, father of the passenger, a manic depressant, said that his 29 year old son seized the controls while cruising at 5500 MSL, and attempted to force the aircraft down into a lake. The pilot was able to overpower his son and recovered at about 3500 ft MSL. Then, his son shut the engine off with the ignition keys and threw the keys out the window. Once again, the son attempted to take over the controls and succeeded in putting the aircraft into a spin. The pilot was able to recover from the spin about 50 feet AGL, but the aircraft was nearing a stall and he was able to guide the acft between two tall trees. The acft cut one tree off and up rooted the other. This resulted in the acft losing most of its forward speed and it fell to the ground from about 30 feet AGL. The pilot and pax suffered minor injuries and the acft was substantially damaged. The pax was place in a psychiatric unit after the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3520R
- Reported as
- Beech A23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M674
- Airframe hours
- 1,234
- Engine
- Continental IO-346-A, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Johnston, William D.
- Registered owner
- Johnston William D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 22, 1989 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- 6F4 · Abilene, TX
- Destination
- HLD · Holly Springs, MS
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,248 total · 476 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBR, 30 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.
Other investigations on N3520R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.