Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Elizabethton Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Elizabethton, Tennessee 37643
Thursday, April 7, 1994 8:10 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ATP AND HIS PASSENGER WERE EN ROUTE TO PICK UP A PATIENT FOR TRANSPORT TO A VA HOSPITAL. THE DESTINATION AIRPORT WAS UNCONTROLLED, AND VFR ONLY. THE PILOT CANCELLED WITH ATC AND REPORTED THE FIELD IN SIGHT. THE AIRPORT WAS REPORTING VFR CONDITIONS, BUT RISING, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN EXISTED TO THE NORTHEAST, AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES REPORTED THAT THE TOP THIRD OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS OBSCURED IN CLOUDS DURING THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT. AFTER CANCELLING IFR, NO SUBSEQUENT RADIO CALLS WERE RECEIVED FROM THE FLIGHT, AND THE FLIGHT DID NOT ARRIVE AT ITS DESTINATION. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND SEVERAL HOURS LATER NEAR THE CREST OF HOLSTON MOUNTAIN, 1/2 MILE EAST OF THE HOLSTON MTN VOR. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED UPSLOPING, WOODED TERRAIN, WHILE AT A CLIMB ANGLE OF 8 DEGREES. DISINTEGRATION OF THE WRECKAGE WAS INDICATIVE OF A HIGH SPEED IMPACT. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND DURING THE EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS WERE THE CLOUDS AND OBSCURATION AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/7/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 810 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | ELIZABETHTON |
| Event State | TENNESSEE |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 37643 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | ELIZABETHTON MUNICIPAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 0A9 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 5 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 35 |
| Airport Elevation | 1585 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 800 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 215 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | 0A9 |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1585 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 5 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2800 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2200 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 3 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 0 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 250 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 492 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 7 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1350 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 10:59AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N64LB |
| NTSB Number | ATL94FA076 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | Unknown |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-31-350 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-31-350 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 31-7852127 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 7000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 7 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 28 1993 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 88 |
| Airframe Hours | 2910 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | AUGUSTA AVIATION, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | DANIEL FIELD |
| Aircraft Owner City | AUGUSTA |
| Aircraft Owner State | GA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 30904 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | AUGUSTA AVIATION, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | DANIEL FIELD |
| Operator City | AUGUSTA |
| Operator State | GA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 30904 |
| Operator Code | B5BA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DNL |
| Departure City | AUGUSTA |
| Departure State | GA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 650 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 4000 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |