Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary NYC92LA180

SANFORD, ME, USA

Aircraft #1

N350PM

PIPER PA-46-350

Analysis

ON THE SECOND ATTEMPTED ILS APPROACH THE PILOT SAID HE DID NOT HAVE THE RUNWAY IN SIGHT BUT, '...CONTINUED AT D.H. [SIC] FOR A FEW MOMENTS...' AND THEN SAW THE RUNWAY. HE SAID THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH RUNWAY REMAINING TO LAND AND '...[THE PILOT] WOULD ATTEMPT TO CIRCLE AT DECISION HEIGHT AND RE-INTERCEPT THE GLIDESLOPE. DURING THIS ILL-CONCEIVED MANEUVER I ENCOUNTERED ONE OR MORE PINE TREES...' AFTER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY THE PILOT WAS VECTORED TO AN AIRPORT 24 MINUTES AWAY. THE PILOT DESCRIBED THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS ON THE FLIGHT TO THE ALTERNATE AIRPORT AS, '...A CONTROL CONDITION SIMILAR TO AN ENGINE OUT IN A MULTI-ENGINE AIRPLANE.' AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST IN A MEDIAN BETWEEN A RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY.

Probable Cause and Findings

THE PILOT DID NOT FOLLOW IFR PROCEDURES WHEN HE DISREGARDED THE DECISION HEIGHT LIMITATION AND FAILED TO INITIATE A MISSED APPROACH WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRPLANE STRIKING TREES.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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