Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Townsend, Tennessee 37882
Tuesady, July 11, 1989 13:28 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PLT DEPD DAYTON, OH, AT ABOUT 0800 ON A FLT TO MACON, GA. HE MADE AN EN ROUTE STOP AT CROSSVILLE, TN. DUE TO WX ON HIS ROUTE, HE CHOSE TO FLY TO KNOXVILLE (DKX), TN, TO REFUEL, THEN GO DIRECT TO MACON. AFTER REFUELING AT DKX, THE PLT DEPD FOR A DIRECT FLT OVER THE MTNS. HE STATED THAT THE PEAKS WERE TOO HIGH AND HE FOUND A MTN VALLEY LEADING TO A PASS ACROSS THE RIDGE LINE. HE OBSERVED CUMULUS CLOUDS OVER THE PEAKS. BEFORE REACHING THE CREST, THE CLOUDS BEGAN TO MOVED IN AROUND HIM. HE STARTED A TURN BACK TO AVOID THE CLOUDS, BUT THE LNDG GEAR BRUSHED THE TREES. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED. PERSONNEL HIKING IN THE AREA HEARD THE CRASH, FOUND THE ACFT, GAVE FIRST AID TO THE PLT, & OBTAINED HELP FROM PARK RANGERS. THE PLT WAS EVACUATED BY HELICOPTER AFTER DELAYS DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. THE PLT INDCD HE WAS TAKING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK SHOWED HIS BLOOD CONTAINED 0.095 MG/L OF NORDIAZEPAM. CANNABINOIDS WERE DETECTED IN HIS URINE, BUT NONE WAS FOUND IN HIS BLOOD.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT AND HIS DELAY IN INITIATING REMEDIAL ACTION, WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILINGS OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS INABILITY TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION, HIS FAILURE TO USE IN-FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING SERVICE, HIS PROBABLE PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT FROM MEDICATION/DRUGS, AND THE TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/11/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1328 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | TOWNSEND |
| Event State | TENNESSEE |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 37882 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | TYS |
| 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 | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 308 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | TYS |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 981 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 23 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 4 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 31 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 22 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 330 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 7200 |
| 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 | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1047 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 11 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1528 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 39253 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:50PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8855B |
| NTSB Number | ATL89FA177 |
| 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 | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 172 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 172 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 36555 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2075 |
| 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 | Jul 10 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 3 |
| Airframe Hours | 4108 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | DWIGHT J FULLERTON |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3800 CLEARVIEW ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | MORAINE |
| Aircraft Owner State | OH |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 45439 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | MORAINE AIR SERVICE |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 3800 CLEARVIEW RD. |
| Operator City | MORAINE |
| Operator State | OH |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 45439 |
| 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 | DKX |
| Departure City | KNOXVILLE |
| Departure State | TN |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1300 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | MCN |
| Destination City | MACON |
| Destination State | GA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |