Beechcraft C35 N9502C

Summary

On 6 April 1989 at about 16:58 local time, a Beechcraft C35 registered N9502C, operated by JON M. Metz, was involved in an accident near Rupert, West Virginia, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 April 1989 at 16:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Rupert, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.9602, -80.6810

Aircraft

Beechcraft C35

Registration

N9502C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

JON M. Metz

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Parkersburg → Lewisburg

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

BFO89FA029

4 people died.

PILOT INADVERTANTLY FLEW INTO IMC WHILE TRYING TO MAINTAIN VFR AND COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A STEEP TURN DURING HIS ATTEMPT TO TURN AWAY FROM IMC. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT WERE DETERMINED TO BE FACTORS IN THIS ACCIDENT WERE: LOW CEILINGS, OBSCURATION, SNOW, AND TURBULENCE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PVT PLT AND 3 PAX DPTD PARKERSBURG (PKB) EN ROUTE TO LEWISBURG (LWB). ALTHOUGH NO WITNESSES COULD BE FOUND WHO SAW THE ACCIDENT, A LADY DID OBSERVE AN ACFT FLYING TOWARD LWB AT AN ALT OF APRX 700-800 FT AGL AS IT PASSED OVER HER RESIDENCE WHICH WAS AT AN ELEVATION OF 2,600 FT AGL. SHE INDICATED THAT THE CEILING WAS SOLID OVERCAST ABOVE THE ACFT AND THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL. EXAMINATION OF THE 3,800 FT MSL WRECKAGE SITE DID NOT REVEALANY PREIMPACT FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS OF THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE. A CFI FLYING 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE ABOUT 45 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT OBSERVED MOUNTAIN TOPS THAT WERE TOTALLY OBSCURED BY CLOUDS AND HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.