- Date
- October 20, 1992, 14:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Middlebourne, WV
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1582LBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921020042749A
- Case key
- 37236
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 pilot's decision to intentionally fly into known icing conditions which resulted in an inadvertent stall and uncontrolled descent into trees. A factor related to the accident was the icing conditions.
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's wx brief included a flt precaution for occasional moderate icing conditions. Later he received a pilot report of moderate rime icing along his route of flight, and at his proposed flt alt. The airplane was equipped with a heated pitot tube and a heated propeller. Approx 1 hr after departure the airplane started an uncontrolled descent from the assigned altitude of 9000 ft. the pilot reported he was unable to maintain his altitude due to ice after the airplane had descended over 1000 ft. he was cleared first to 6000 ft, and then 4000 ft, both of which he was unable to maintain. He was last observed on radar, descending through 2400 ft. a witness on the ground saw the airplane in a nose high attitude with the wings rocking from side to side. He said the nose suddenly pitched down and the airplane descended into trees from which a fireball was observed to emanate. Radar data showed an approx 15 knot reduction in ground speed, in the 5 minutes preceding the descent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1582L
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-289
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert J. Carleton
- Registered owner
- Robert J. Carleton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 10, 1992
- Departed
- MFD · Mansfield, OH
- Destination
- CHO · Charlottesville, VA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 300 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Observed at
- PKB, 28 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.