ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 38358
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| Date: | Saturday 25 March 1989 |
| Time: | 22:15 |
| Type: |  Socata TB10 Tobago |
| Owner/operator: | Aircraft Equipment Inc |
| Registration: | N20NQ |
| MSN: | 695 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 105 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pittsfield, Massaceusetts -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Westover AFB, Mass (CEF/KCEF) |
| Albany, New York (ALB/KALB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
DURING VFR FLIGHT AT NIGHT, PILOT TRIED CONTACTING ALBANY APPROACH CONTROL (ALB), 40 MILES FROM DESTINATION. CONTROLLER ANSWERED CALL & REPORTED HE WAS NOT RECEIVING TRANSPONDER (XPDR), BUT PILOT DID NOT HEAR HIM AS HIS AIRCRAFT WAS TOO FAR AWAY. PILOT WAS ADVISED, VIA AN AIRLINER, TO CALL AGAIN AFTER PROCEEDING FURTHER INBOUND. ABOUT 13 MIN LATER, PILOT ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH ALBANY APPROACH CONTROL, APPROXIMATELY 27 MILES SOUTH EAST IN VICINITY OF PITTSFIELD AT 2,500 FEET AMSL. HE ASKED, 'MY ALTITUDE OF 2,500, IS THAT OK?' CONTROLLER THOUGHT PILOT WAS REFERRING TO QUALITY OF TRANSPONDER READ-OUT OF 2,500 FEET & REPLIED 'AFFIRMATIVE.'
CONTROLLER THEN ASKED IF PILOT WAS VFR; PILOT SAID HE WAS. SOON THEREAFTER, CONTACT WITH AIRCRAFT WAS LOST. IT DESCENDED INTO RISING TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1,800 FEET. NO PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. DURING PRE-FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, FSS PERSONNEL DID NOT ADVISE PILOT OF FLIGHT PREDICTION OF OBSCURED MOUNTAINS. MVA IN AREA WAS 4,000 FEET AMSL.
ANOTHER PILOT OPERATING FROM PITTSFIELD REPORTED BASES OF CLOUD WERE RAGGED AT 2,500 TO 3,000 FEET AMSL & HIGHER TERRAIN WAS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. REGIONAL CONTROL CENTER NOT NOTIFIED; SEARCH DELAYED; CONTROLLER'S SUPERVISOR NOTIFIED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER PER PROCEDURES FOR IFR AIRCRAFT. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER DID NOT NOTIFY REGIONAL CONTROL CENTER, SINCE AIRCRAFT WAS VFR; HOWEVER, CRASH WAS NOT SURVIVABLE. ALL FOUR ON BOARD (PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS) SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES
CAUSE: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INADEQUATE BRIEFING PROVIDED BY THE FLIGHT SERVICE STATION (FSS) SPECIALIST, DARK NIGHT, LOW CLOUDS, AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS.
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: NYC89FA105 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001213X27981&key=1&queryId=7d9bdd3c-afc9-465e-bf39-3cf10e4d24ae&pgno=6&pgsize=50
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=20NQ
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 14-Sep-2016 17:56 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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