Young GLASAIR III accident near St. Martinville, LA
On April 17, 1998, a Young GLASAIR III (airplane) was involved in an accident near St. Martinville, LA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 17, 1998
- Place
- St. Martinville, LA
- Aircraft
- Young GLASAIR III · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 30.120°N, 91.830°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09843
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 16, 1998, approximately 2020 central daylight time, a Young Glasair III experimental amateur built airplane, N238BC, was destroyed upon impact with terrain following an in flight encounter with weather near St. Martinville, Louisiana. The non-instrument rated commercial pilot and his pilot rated passenger were fatally injured. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area, and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. The night cross country flight originated from Lake Charles, Louisiana, at 1950. According to recorded data provided by the FAA, departure control, as well as Houston Center, provided the pilot with timely and accurate weather advisories concerning the moderate to severe turbulence associated with the adverse weather conditions along his route of flight. Additionally, the Houston Flight Watch provided the pilot an in-flight weather briefing prior to his refueling stop at Lake Charles. According to FAA recorded radar data, the airplane was in VFR conditions receiving VFR traffic advisories from Houston Center at 11,500 feet msl, while on a flight from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Lakeland, Florida. The airplane was last observed on radar at 10,200 feet, at a point approximately 20 nautical miles east of Lafayette, Louisiana, when radar and radio contact was lost with the airplane. No distress calls were received from the airplane. The wreckage of the airplane was located by the Civil Air Patrol the following day in a remote unp
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft as a result of VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and flight into known adverse weather conditions. Contributing factors were turbulence, clouds, dark night and lack of an instrument rating.
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Browse: Louisiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
