Convair CV-580 accident near Belvedere Ctr, Vermont, September 19, 1991
On September 19, 1991 at about 1:50 am local time, a Convair CV-580, registered CFICA, was destroyed in an accident near Belvedere Ctr, Vermont. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE FIRST OFFICER (CO-PILOT) TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED, AND HIS EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE LACK OF TWO PILOTS IN THE COCKPIT, DARKNESS, AND INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AT FLIGHT ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 1991 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Belvedere Ctr, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair CV-580
- Registration
- CFICA · no longer on the register · serial 98
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS CRUISING IN NIGHT INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WHEN IT ENTERED A LEFT TURN AND EXCEEDED THE DESIGN AIRFRAME LIMITS. THE AIRPLANE BROKE UP IN THE DESCENT DUE TO AERODYNAMIC FORCES AND WAS DESTROYED.. THE OUTBOARD WING PANELS HAD FAILED DOWNWARD AND CENTER WING SECTION SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE. THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATORS HAD FAILED DOWN AND AFT. THE CAPTAIN WAS FOUND OUT OF THE COCKPIT WITH NO EVIDENCE OF HIM BEING IN THE SEAT AT IMPACT A HUMAN FACTORS STUDY FOUND THE AIRCRAFT'S LAST MINUTE OF FLIGHT MATCHED A PROFILE OF A PILOT EXPERIENCING SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,400 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 193 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,323 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 11, 1991; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 58,156 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 501-D13D (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Canair Cargo LTD
The flight
- Departed from: YQM Moncton,N.B.
- Destination: YHM Hamilton,Ont
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from BTV, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.