Beechcraft A23-24 N453D

Summary

On 7 September 1998 at about 20:53 local time, a Beechcraft A23-24 registered N453D was involved in an accident near Shunk, Pennsylvania, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 September 1998 at 20:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Shunk, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

41.5603, -76.7593

Aircraft

Beechcraft A23-24

Registration

N453D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elmira → New London

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC98FA180

5 people died.

The pilot-in-command's attempted flight into known adverse weather conditions, his failure to maintain control of the aircraft, and his exceeding the airframe design limits resulting in separation of the outboard left wing. Contributing factors were clouds, self induced pressure, spatial disorientation, and the lack of instrument certification/experience of both the pilot and pilot/passenger.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Two non-instrument-rated private pilots and three passengers decided to return home after a weekend visit. A friend tried to dissuade them from flying because of the existing weather conditions, but was told they had to return home because, among other things, the children's school started the next day. The friend then offered to drive home with them, and bring their rental car back. The pilots declined, but assured him they would not fly if the weather was too bad. At the airport, one of the pilots was seen checking the weather computer a number of times, and the group was noted as being 'pretty concerned about the weather.' The airplane departed Elmira where the weather was reported at 1622 hours as 3,600 foot overcast with light rain, and climbed to about 8,500 feet into, or near instrument meteorological conditions. The radar track showed the aircraft transitioning from a climbing right turn approximately 8,500 feet to a rapidly descending right turn. An altitude loss of 1,600 feet in 12 seconds was recorded. It was observed descending from a cloud layer, in a spin, with part of the left wing missing, just before impacting terrain. The pilot-owner was in the left front seat, and the other pilot was in the right front seat. At the time of the accident, the airplane was near its maximum gross weight. Post-crash metallurgical examination of left wing spar fracture surfaces revealed features typical of overstress separation and no pre-existing crack features.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.