ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 39702
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| Date: | Friday 9 August 1996 |
| Time: | 10:05 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft A36 Bonanza |
| Owner/operator: | Fly Inc |
| Registration: | N976WL |
| MSN: | E-924 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-520-BA |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Atlantic Ocean, about 46 nm SSE of Freeport Intl Airport, Freeport -
 Bahamas
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Great Harbour Cay Airport (GHC/MYBG |
| West Palm Beach, FL (KPBI) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On August 9, 1996, about 10:05 EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza, N976WL, registered to Fly, Inc., was simultaneously lost from radar and radio contact while over the Northwest Providence Channel, Atlantic Ocean, about 46 nautical miles south-southeast of the Freeport International Airport, Freeport, Bahamas. Weather conditions are unknown and an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 flight. The private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The flight originated about 09:48 EDT from the Great Harbor Cay Airport, Great Harbor Cay, Bahamas.
Review of an ATC transcript of communications revealed that at 09:50:14 EDT, the pilot contacted the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and advised the controller that the flight had departed Great Harbor and he would like to file an IFR flight plan to the Palm Beach International Airport. The flight was assigned a discrete transponder code and the airplane was radar identified at 09:56:05 EDT when the flight was 9 miles northwest of the Great Harbor Cay.
The pilot was questioned if he filed an IFR flight plan with radio (FSS) and the pilot responded that he was unable. The controller advised the pilot to fly heading 285 degrees to intercept Bahamas Route 54V to the Palm Beach Airport. At the pilots request the controller advised the pilot to climb and maintain 10,000 feet. The flight continued and the pilot assisted with a ATC communication relay with another airplane. The last recorded ATC contact with the Miami ARTCC controller occurred at 09:58:35 EDT when the pilot responded to the controllers comment for assisting with ATC contact with the other airplane.
At 10:06:09 EDT, a Bahamas Air pilot advised the same controller that he heard a pilot report "Mayday..." The mayday communication was also confirmed by the pilot of another airplane and by a Continental Airlines flight crew. The ARTCC controller then attempted direct contact with the pilot and also by a relay with another airplane, both with negative results. The controller requested that the Continental flight fly in the area of the last known contact which was complied with.
At 10:21:52 EDT while flying at 11,000 feet mean sea level in the vicinity of the last known position, the flight crew reported "well the stuff ah right to our north there's some pretty good chop but ah down where we are right now its ah smooth and ah no clouds-that weather is about ah just about 10 miles er right off our right wing now." The controller questioned the distance and the crew responded that the tops were about 25,000 to the right. The controller again vectored the Continental airlines flight to the last known position and when the flight arrived there at 10:24:54 EDT, the flight crew reported experiencing rain and they were unable to see the water.
Sources:
1. NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20001208X06578&ntsbno=MIA96LA208&akey=1
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=976WL
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 01-Mar-2016 00:57 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Country, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
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