Beech A36TC accident near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, May 12, 2017
On May 12, 2017 at about 4:52 pm local time, a 1981 Beech A36TC, registered N1804E, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noninstrument-rated pilot's intentional visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's overreliance on his limited instrument training.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2017 · about 4:52 pm local time
- Place
- Hopkinsville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36TC UNDESIGNAT, built 1981 · all A36TCs on the register
- Registration
- N1804E · no longer on the register · serial EA-231
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated private pilot and the passenger were on a personal cross-country visual flight rules (VFR) flight in the airplane, and the pilot was in contact with air traffic control and receiving flight following services as he deviated due to weather along the route of flight. The pilot talked with a controller about diverting to a nearby airport, but he opted to continue, stating that the flight would likely be clear of the weather shortly based on the information he was receiving from his on-board equipment. Weather radar and satellite imagery indicated that the flight encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) before it departed from controlled flight and entered a steep descent that continued to terrain impact. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had received about 71 hours of simulated instrument flight training and had accumulated about 16 hours in actual instrument conditions, though his most recent instrument training flight was more than 1 year before the accident. The pilot's decision to continue VFR flight into IMC may have been influenced by an overreliance on his limited instrument training that led him to underestimate the difficulty of maintaining airplane control in actual instrument conditions. After the airplane entered IMC, the pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation and lost control of the airplane. Although the pilot was using two medications (imipramine and doxylamine) that may have affected his aeronautical decision-making and increased his susceptibility to spatial disorientation, it could not be determined whether effects from these drugs contributed to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during maneuvering defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Decision related to condition
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › (general) › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent instrument experience › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Use of medication/drugs › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 726.7 hours in all; 19 in the last 90 days; 4.6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 24, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,182.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2017; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-UB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVN Davenport IA at 2:42 pm
- Destination: MSL Muscle Shoals AL
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from HOP, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
19 documents, released by the NTSB on December 13, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.