Beech A36 accident near Davis, West Virginia, May 12, 1998
On May 12, 1998 at about 2:57 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N72141, was destroyed in an accident near Davis, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's spatial disorientation, his subsequent loss of control of the airplane, and his overload of the horizontal stabilizer during a recovery attempt. Factors include the pilot's continued flight into icing conditions, his lack of airspeed control, and the lack of an AIRMET advisory from the weather briefer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 1998 · about 2:57 pm local time
- Place
- Davis, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N72141 · no longer on the register · serial E-2211
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was cruising on a southerly heading at 13,000 feet, in instrument meteorological conditions, when, over a 23-second period, it turned toward the west, descended about 1,200 feet, then broke up. The last 3-point smoothed ground speed calculation for the airplane indicated 242 knots. Winds aloft were from the east, about 10 knots. The airplane's maximum operating speed was 167 knots indicated, and maximum maneuvering speed was 141 knots indicated. At the time of the accident, the airplane was in conditions conducive to icing. The airframe anti-icing system was inoperative, and it was undetermined whether the engine and pitot ice protection systems had been activated. The horizontal stabilizer and the wings exhibited markings consistent with downward overstress separation. The flight originated from Hamilton, Ontario, and stopped at Buffalo, New York, before continuing. An AIRMET, calling for icing, was in effect, but not mentioned during the Ontario weather briefing. In Buffalo, no flight service station services were requested or provided. Flight into icing conditions in the accident airplane was prohibited, and the procedure was to turn back or change altitude to escape the icing.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 365 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,240 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,849 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-B17F/2 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BUF Buffalo NY at 1:38 pm
- Destination: SOP Pinehurst NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from EKN, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.