Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Dalhart Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Dalhart, Texas 79022
Thursday, March 30, 1995 11:30 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS EN ROUTE FROM NORTH CAROLINA TO NEW MEXICO WHEN HE STOPPED AT DALHART ON 03/29/95 AND DECIDED TO REMAIN OVERNIGHT AFTER CONVERSING WITH OTHER PILOTS WHO WERE DELAYING THEIR DEPARTURES DUE TO REPORTED ICING CONDITIONS. HE TOLD A WITNESS THAT HE WAS 'WORRIED ABOUT HIS JOB' AND WAS EXPECTED TO REPORT FOR WORK AT MIDNIGHT THAT EVENING. INSTRUMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED THE NEXT MORNING UNTIL ABOUT 1000 WHEN THE VISIBILITY INCREASED TO 15 MILES. THE PILOT DID NOT OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEPARTING ABOUT 1015, ALTHOUGH ANOTHER PILOT ADVISED HIM THAT HE HAD JUST DRIVEN THROUGH SNOW ON HIS WAY INTO TOWN FROM THE WEST. APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT CALLED THE DALHART UNICOM AND REPORTED THAT HE WAS CIRCLING THE VOR BUT COULD NOT FIND THE AIRPORT. AFTER RECEIVING DIRECTIONS FROM THE VOR TO THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS HEADED FOR THE AIRPORT. A WITNESS NEAR THE AIRPORT OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE 'APPEAR OUT OF THE SNOWSTORM', MANEUVER BRIEFLY, THEN ENTER 'A SHARP LEFT BANK WITH AN EXTREME NOSE DOWN ANGLE', IMPACT THE GROUND AND 'BURST INTO FLAMES.'
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS AND THE ENSUING SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE TO REACH HIS DESTINATION, HIS FAILURE TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR THE FLIGHT, AND THE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/30/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1130 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | DALHART |
| Event State | TEXAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 79022 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | DALHART MUNICIPAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | DHT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 225 |
| Airport Elevation | 3989 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1150 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 45 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DHT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 3989 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 400 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0.5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 1 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 0 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 30 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| 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) | 385 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 30 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1300 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:09PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N35917 |
| NTSB Number | FTW95FA150 |
| 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 | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 177RG |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 177RG |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 177RG1078 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2800 |
| 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 | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 23 1995 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | OLSEN, LOREN T |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1208 LAWRENCE COURT NE |
| Aircraft Owner City | ALBUQUERQUE |
| Aircraft Owner State | NM |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 87123 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| 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 | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | DHT |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1015 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 4AC |
| Destination City | ALBUQUERQUE |
| Destination State | NM |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent - uncontrolled |
| 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 | -- |