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| Date: | Friday 12 May 2017 |
| Time: | 11:52 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft A36TC Bonanza |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1804E |
| MSN: | EA-231 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3182 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-520-UB |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport (KHVC), KY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Davenport Airport, IA (DVN/KDVN) |
| Muscle Shoals Airport, AL (MSL/KMSL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The noninstrument-rated private pilot and the passenger were on a personal cross-country visual flight rules (VFR) flight in the airplane, and the pilot was in contact with air traffic control and receiving flight following services as he deviated due to weather along the route of flight. The pilot talked with a controller about diverting to a nearby airport, but he opted to continue, stating that the flight would likely be clear of the weather shortly based on the information he was receiving from his on-board equipment. Weather radar and satellite imagery indicated that the flight encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) before it departed from controlled flight and entered a steep descent that continued to terrain impact. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot had received about 71 hours of simulated instrument flight training and had accumulated about 16 hours in actual instrument conditions, though his most recent instrument training flight was more than 1 year before the accident. The pilot's decision to continue VFR flight into IMC may have been influenced by an overreliance on his limited instrument training that led him to underestimate the difficulty of maintaining airplane control in actual instrument conditions. After the airplane entered IMC, the pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation and lost control of the airplane. Although the pilot was using two medications (imipramine and doxylamine) that may have affected his aeronautical decision-making and increased his susceptibility to spatial disorientation, it could not be determined whether effects from these drugs contributed to the accident.
Probable Cause: The noninstrument-rated pilot's intentional visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's overreliance on his limited instrument training.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N1804E
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Photos(c): NTSB
Media:
No survivors in airplane crash. Deputies and first responders still on scene. pic.twitter.com/OCtI78Cb1i
— Christian Co. S.O. (@_ccso_) 12 mai 2017
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-May-2017 23:03 | Geno | Added |
| 13-May-2017 07:20 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 13-May-2017 07:25 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source, ] |
| 13-May-2017 07:32 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 13-May-2017 18:41 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 13-May-2017 18:42 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 13-May-2017 18:52 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 15-May-2017 17:58 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, ] |
| 02-Mar-2019 14:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 03-Mar-2019 12:06 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Photo, ] |
| 13-Mar-2022 00:39 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Source, Category, Photo, ] |
| 13-Mar-2022 00:39 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo, ] |
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