- Date
- May 17, 1994, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lewisburg, WV
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N36236Bellanca 7GCBC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940517011199A
- Case key
- 38753
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 inadequate inflight decision, inadvertent VFR flight into IMC, and failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance which resulted in inflight collision with trees. A factor was inadequate altitude.
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
According to the pilot, he decided to leave on the flight a day earlier, because of forecasted weather over his intended route of flight, and the airplane was not equipped for instrument flight. Approximately 2 hours after the flight started, the pilot said he encountered fog, and elected to land, refuel, and wait for the weather to clear. After waiting approximately 1 1/2 hours, he took off, and again encountered fog. He elected to turn back and land at the same airport again. This time he waited several hours on the ground, checked weather and took off again. After several minutes of flight he again encountered fog. The pilot wrote in his statement, '...told (passenger) looks like weather is getting [bad]...[and] we were returning to [home airport]...I made a 180 degree turn, was setting my loran...when encountered fog, next thing I saw was trees....' The airplane impacted the trees and came to rest with engine resting on a rock and the engine still running.
Factual narrative
On May 17, 1994, about 1530 eastern daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N36236, piloted by Mr. Sydnor C. Newman Jr., collided with trees while maneuvering near Lewisburg, West Virginia. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and one passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was operated under 14 CFR 91.
According to the pilot, he decided to leave on the flight a day earlier, because of forecasted weather over his intended route of flight, and the airplane was not equipped for instrument flight. In the vicinity of Lewisburg, West Virginia, and approximately 2 hours after the flight started, the pilot said he encountered fog. He elected to land at the Lewisburg Airport, refuel, and wait for the weather to clear. The pilot wrote in his statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2:
...landed...at 09:00. Took off again approximately one and one half (1 1/2) hours later, encountered fog again...returned again to (Lewisburg). After checking weather we took off at 15:00, after seeing sunshine...told (passenger) looks like weather is getting [bad]...[and] we were returning to FVX [Farmville, Virginia, home airport]...I made a 180 degree turn, was setting my Loran to FVX when encountered fog, next thing I saw was trees...
The airplane struck trees, and came to rest with the engine resting against a rock with the engine still running.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N36236
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 549-73
- Airframe hours
- 954
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sydnor C. Newman Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 1994 · 4 hours before
- Destination
- CRW · Charleston, WV
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 7,500 total · 100 in this make and model · 7,500 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N36236 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.