Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Youngstown, Florida 32466
Friday, June 17, 1994 CDT

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

THE PRIVATE, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS RETURNING HOME, VFR, AT NIGHT. HE INITIALLY RECEIVED VFR FLIGHT FOLLOWING FROM EGLIN APPROACH, AND WAS GIVEN A FREQUENCY CHANGE TO JAX CENTER. NO SUBSEQUENT COMMUNICATIONS WERE RECEIVED FROM THE PILOT, ALTHOUGH JAX CENTER REPORTED THAT THE RADIO FREQUENCY THAT THE PILOT WAS GIVEN WAS NOT THE CORRECT ONE, AND TRANSMISSIONS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GOOD ON THAT FREQUENCY. RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRAVELING EAST NORTHEAST AT 2,400 FEET WHEN IT ENTERED A DESCENDING, RIGHT HAND TURN. RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AT 400 FEET, WITH THE AIRCRAFT IN A STEEP, RIGHT HAND DESCENDING TURN. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN AN OPEN, PLOWED FIELD. GENERAL DISINTEGRATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED A HIGH ENERGY IMPACT WITH TERRAIN. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS OBSERVED DURING THE WRECKAGE EXAM. THE AREA OF THE CRASH SITE WAS REMOTE FARMLAND, WITH A MARKED ABSENCE OF GROUND LIGHTING. LOCAL AREA THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGH CLOUD COVER PRODUCED CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. THE PILOT'S TOTAL FLIGHT TIME WAS 115 HOURS (12 HOURS AT NIGHT).

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

SPATIAL DISORIENTATION EXPERIENCED BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS WERE THE CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION (DARK NIGHT LIGHTING CONDITIONS, HIGH CLOUD COVER, THUNDERSTORMS), AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF NIGHT FLYING EXPERIENCE.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 6/17/1994
Event Day of the Week Friday
Time of Event 30
Event Time Zone Central Daylight Time
Event City YOUNGSTOWN
Event State FLORIDA
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 32466
Event Date Year 1994
Event Date Month 6
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude
Event Location Longitude
Event Location Airport
Event Location Nearest Airport ID
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles --
Degrees magnetic from airport --
Airport Elevation --
Weather Briefing Completeness Unknown
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 55 Central Daylight Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 216
Weather Observation Facility ID PAM
Elevation of weather observation facility 18
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 18
Time Zone of the weather observation CDT
Lighting Conditions Night/Dark
Lowest Ceiling Height 12000
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height 2000
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) 7
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 24
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 22
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 160
Variable Wind Indicator Unknown
Wind Speed (knots) 4
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 1
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 1
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 870
NTSB Notification Source --
NTSB Notification Date Jun 17 1994 12:00AM
NTSB Notification Time 1126
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information IMAGE
Date of most recent change to record Dec 6 2000 11:25AM
User who most recently changed record dbo
Basic weather conditions Unknown
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N74693
NTSB Number ATL94FA121
Missing Aircraft Indicator N
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? --
Damage Destroyed
Aircraft Fire None
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name GRUMMAN AMERICAN
Aircraft Model AA-5B
Aircraft Series Identifier AA-5B
Aircraft Serial Number AA5B-0352
Certified Max Gross Weight 2400
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 4
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection Annual
Date of Last Inspection Apr 1 1994 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 32
Airframe Hours 3661
ELT Installed Yes
ELT Activated Yes
ELT Aided Location of Event Site Yes
ELT Type --
Aircraft Owner Name BLOUNTSTOWN AVIATION
Aircraft Owner Street Address 119 RIVER STREET
Aircraft Owner City BLOUNTSTOWN
Aircraft Owner State FL
Aircraft Owner Country
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 32424
Operator is an individual? --
Operator Name VAN LIEROP, JOHANNAS C.
Operator Same as Owner? No
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? No
Operator Street Address 815 DOGWOOD AVE.
Operator City BLOUNTSTOWN
Operator State FL
Operator Country
Operator Zip code 32424
Operator Code
Owner has at least one certificate None
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) Personal
Second Pilot on Board No
Departure Point Same as Event No
Departure Airport Code 81J
Departure City DESTIN
Departure State FL
Departure Country
Departure Time 3
Departure Time Zone CDT
Destination Same as Local Flt --
Destination Airport Code 0J9
Destination City BLOUNTSTOWN
Destination State FL
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 --
Runway Width --
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --