BILLINGS, MT, USA
N6887Y
CESSNA 550
DURING DESCENT INTO BILLINGS, THE CITATION WAS SEQUENCED BEHIND A BOEING 757, AND BOTH AIRPLANES WERE EVENTUALLY CLEARED FOR VISUAL APPROACHES. ABOUT 1-1/2 MI FROM THE RUNWAY THE CITATION WAS OBSERVED TO ROLL RAPIDLY TO THE INVERTED POSITION & DESCEND ALMOST VERTICALLY INTO THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO ATC TRANSCRIPTS AND THE AIRPLANES'S COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER, THE CREW OF THE CITATION HAD MAINTAINED VISUAL AWARENESS OF THE POSITION OF THE B-757 THROUGHOUT THE APPROACH. AT THE TIME OF THE UPSET, THE VERTICAL SEPARATION BETWEEN AIRPLANES WAS 600-1000 FT, AND THE HORIZONTAL SEPARATION WAS DECREASING BELOW 2.6 MI. ONE OF THE CITATION CAPTAIN'S LAST COMMENTS WAS 'ALMOST RAN OVER A SEVEN FIFTY SEVEN.' WINDS WERE 5 KTS.
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW ESTABLISHED VORTEX AVOIDANCE PROCEDURES, AS PUBLISHED IN THE AIRMAN'S INFORMATION MANUAL, TO PROVIDE HIS OWN WAKE TURBULENCE SEPARATION.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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