Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 accident near Panama City, Florida, March 3, 1993
On March 3, 1993 at about 12:58 pm local time, a Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600, registered N90399, was destroyed in an accident near Panama City, Florida (Panama City-Bay County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S POORLY PLANNED APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY FOLLOWING AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH RESULTING IN A LOSS OF CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1993 · about 12:58 pm local time
- Place
- Panama City, Florida · Panama City-Bay County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 AEROSTAR 6
- Registration
- N90399 · registry record · serial 60-0226-096
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT HAD BEEN CLEARED FOR THE VOR-A APPROACH, WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO CIRCLE TO A RIGHT DOWNWIND AND LAND ON RUNWAY 14. THE TOWER CONTROLLER OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE EMERGE FROM THE OVERCAST OVER RUNWAY 23 ABEAM THE VOR, THEN MAKE A TIGHT RIGHT TURN ONTO THE DOWNWIND LEG, PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 14 AND CLOSE IN. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS ABEAM THE RUNWAY 14 THRESHOLD, SHE OBSERVED THE NOSE PITCH UP, AND THE AIRPLANE DID WHAT SHE DESCRIBED AS A WING OVER. IT THEN DOVE AND IMPACTED THE RUNWAY NEAR THE THRESHOLD. THE CONTROLLER STATED THAT THE PILOT MADE THIS ROUND TRIP EVERY DAY, AND SHE HAD SEEN HIM DO THIS MANEUVER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,550 hours in all; 312 in this make and model; 318 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,952 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 15, 1993; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1F5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cherokee Leasing, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: TLH Tallahassee FL at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 6,304 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN93FA031.