Date:	Wednesday 10 July 1991
Time:	18:12
Type:	Beechcraft C99 Commuter
Owner/operator:	L'Express Airlines
Registration:	N7217L
MSN:	U-226
Year of manufacture:	1984
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-36
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 15
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	11 km SW of Birmingham Airport, AL (BHM) -   United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Mobile Municipal Airport, AL (MOB/KMOB)
Destination airport:	Birmingham Airport, AL (BHM/KBHM)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The Beechcraft took off from Mobile at 17:05 for the last leg of the New Orleans-Mobile-Birmingham flight. Weather was bad around the Birmingham airport as flight 508 approached. Three aircraft had diverted to another airport, a Piper Aerostar had landed prior to the accident, a Gates LearJet after the accident. The weather reported to the crew at 18:05 was 1100 feet overcast, 2,5 miles visibility, thunderstorm and rainshower wind 340/12 kts.
An upset occurred as the flight entered an area of thunderstorm activity. The aircraft rolled left and pitched up as the aircraft approached level flight with approx. 30deg of left bank. The aircraft then entered a stall (or a prestall buffet) and started to descend. The descent couldn't be arrested and the aircraft crashed into a residential area, destroying two homes and two automobiles.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The decision of the captain to initiate and continue an instrument approach into clearly identified thunderstorm activity, thunderstorm activity, resulting in a loss of control of the airplane from which the flight crew was unable to recover and subsequent collision with obstacles and the terrain."

CNN
NTSB Safety Recommendations A-92-18 through -20
NTSB/AAR-92/01
Scramble Vol.13, nr.05

photo (c) via Werner Fischdick; September 1985

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