- Date
- June 29, 1992, 08:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Ballantine, MT
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3696RBeech A36TC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 4, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920629022189A
- Case key
- 41584
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-in-command's physical impairment and his continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors relating to the accident were: the weather conditions and the hilly terrain.
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 encountered instrument meteorological weather conditions during a VFR flt, and requested a special VFR clearance to enter the control zone and land at the destination. Radio and radar contact with the flt was lost at 4000 ft MSL in the vicinity of the accident site. The acft impacted upsloping terrain that was obscured in clouds, near the top of a hill at 4000 ft MSL. Toxicological tests indicated that 57.7 ug/ml of a prescribed medication, quinidine, was detected in the blood; normal therapeutic concentration range in plasma is 2.0 T0 6.0 ug/ml.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3696R
- Reported as
- Beech A36TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- EA-138
- Airframe hours
- 2,278
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-UB, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Huntley, Gene
- Registered owner
- Huntley, Gene
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 1991 · 67 hours before
- Departed
- 3U6 · Baker, MT
- Destination
- BIL · Billings, MT
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,059 total · 211 in this make and model · 942 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BIL, 15 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.