Piper 601P N50TR

Summary

On 1 November 1989 at about 07:05 local time, a Piper 601P registered N50TR was involved in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 November 1989 at 07:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Southwest Florida Rgnl (RSW)

Coordinates

26.5099, -81.6991

Aircraft

Piper 601P

Registration

N50TR

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Miami → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MIA90FA022

1 person died.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY FOLLOW THE IFR PROCEDURE AND TO IDENTIFY THE DECISION HEIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, DARKNESS, THE PILOT'S LACK OF VISUAL PERCEPTION WITHOUT THE APPROACH LIGHTS, AND TREE(S) IN THE ACCIDENT AREA.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT DEPD MIAMI AT NGT ON AN ON-DEMAND, AIR TAXI FLT TO FT MYERS, FL. DURING ARRIVAL AT THE DESTN, THE FLT ENCTRD IFR CONDS. THE PLT OBTAINED CLNC FOR AN ILS RWY 6 APCH & WAS TOLD TO RPRT AT THE OUTER MARKER (OM). AT 0152:25 EST, HE RPRTD TO MIAMI CENTER THAT HE WAS OVER THE OM. THIS WAS HIS LAST TRANSMISSION TO AN ATC FACILITY. AT ABOUT 0203 EST, HE MADE A TRANSMISSION ON UNICOM FREQ TO INFORM ARPT OPNS PSNL THAT HE COULD NOT GET THE APCH LIGHTS TO OPERATE. HE WAS ASKED IF HE HAD USED THE PROPER FREQ & HAD KEYED THE MIKE THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF TIMES. THE PLT INDCD THAT HE HAD PROPERLY KEYED THE MIKE; HOWEVER, UNICOM PSNL DID NOT HEAR ANY KEYING OF THE MIKE EXCEPT FOR 2 CLICKS. THE ACFT CTCD THE GND IN A NRLY LEVEL ATTITUDE & WITH THE GEAR EXTENDED, APRX 1.5 MI SHORT OF RWY 6. IT THEN SKIDDED ABOUT 90 FT & HIT A TREE BEFORE COMING TO REST. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND WITH THE ACFT, ENG OR APCH/RWY LIGHTS. THE 0149 EST WX AT FT MYERS WAS IN PART: SKY OBSCURED, VIS 1/4 MI WITH FOG.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.