Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Barkley Regional Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Paducah, Kentucky 42001
Saturday, January 7, 1989 19:35 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DRG A RTRN FLT AT NGT TO DECATUR, AL, THE PLT NOTED HIS WX RADAR WAS INOP. HE VISUALLY AVOIDED THUNDERSTORMS (TSTMS), WHICH HAD BEEN FORECASTED. WHILE AVOIDING TSTMS, HE NOTED A REDUCTION IN ENG POWER, A SLIGHT YAW, INDCNS OF FUEL FLOW IRREGULARITY & THAT THE LEFT & RGT BOOST PUMPS WERE INOP. THESE OCCURRED AT ABOUT THE TIME, HE SAW A WHITE ARC WHICH HE SAID HAD JUMPED FROM THE PROP, SPINNER OR NACELLE AREA TO THE ACFT'S NOSE. DUE TO THE WX, HE ELECTED TO DIVERT TO PADUCAH. AFTER THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT, HE NEEDED TO LOSE ALT BEFORE LANDING & WAS CLEARED TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN. WHILE TURNING, HE LOST SIGHT OF THE ARPT, THEN ROLLED OUT ON THE WRONG HEADING & STARTED FLYING TOWARD A STROBE LIGHT AT AN INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. WHEN HE REALIZED HIS ERROR & SAW THE ARPT, HE TURNED TOWARD THE RWY; BUT AS HE WAS MANEUVERING, THE ACFT LOST ALT, HIT TREES & CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE ENGS & FUEL PUMPS REVEALED NO INDCN OF A PREIMPACT FAILURE. NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE WAS FOUND, BUT THE NOSE & ENGS WERE BADLY DAMAGED FROM IMPACT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE WHILE MANEUVERING TO LAND. PROBABLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE INOPERATIVE WEATHER RADAR, THUNDERSTORMS, LIGHTNING, AN UNDETERMINED ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, DARK NIGHT, THE PILOT'S IMPROPERLY PLANNED APPROACH AND VISUAL PERCEPTION, AND THE TREES.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/7/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1935 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | PADUCAH |
| Event State | KENTUCKY |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 42001 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | BARKLEY REGIONAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PAH |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 410 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1850 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 210 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PAH |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 410 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 7000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2100 |
| 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) | 8 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 220 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 22 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 29 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 1100 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 453 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 7 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2105 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 38953 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:24PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N784K |
| NTSB Number | ATL89LA068 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BEECH |
| Aircraft Model | B-90 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | B-90 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | LJ-427 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 9650 |
| 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 | 8 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 2 1987 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 114 |
| Airframe Hours | 5293 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ENG. & MANUFACTURING SERVICE |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 210 BLAKE ST. |
| Aircraft Owner City | HUNTSVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | AL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 35802 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | MERRILL L. WALKER |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 708 DRAKE |
| Operator City | HUNTSVILLE |
| Operator State | AL |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 35802 |
| 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 | SDA |
| Departure City | SHENANDOAH |
| Departure State | IA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1730 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | DCU |
| Destination City | DECATUR |
| Destination State | AL |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 22 |
| Runway Length | 6500 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |