Cessna U206F N8559Q

Summary

On 29 August 1989 at about 02:53 local time, a Cessna U206F registered N8559Q was involved in an accident near West Point, New York, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 August 1989 at 02:53

Classification

Accident

Location

West Point, New York, United States

Coordinates

41.3904, -73.9690

Aircraft

Cessna U206F

Registration

N8559Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Philadelphia → Kingston

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC89FA204

1 person died.

CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO AN AREA OF MARGINAL VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE OVER MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT, HIGH TERRAIN, LOW CLOUDS/CEILING, RAIN, AND TREES.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT WAS REPOSITIONING THE ACFT AT NGT TO HIS HOME ARPT AT KINGSTON. HE RCVD VFR ADVISORIES FM NEW YORK TRACON FOR ROUTING TO TETERBORO & TO CONT NORTH BELOW THE TCA, ALONG THE HUDSON RIVER TO KINGSTON. THE ATC CTLR ISSUED A CLNC AS REQUESTED, PROVIDED WX INFO & TOLD THE PLT TO MAINT 2500'. MINUTES LATER, THE PLT REQUESTED A LOWER ALT & WAS APPROVED FOR FLT THRU THE TETERBORO ARPT TFC AREA. HE RPRTD 'THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE IN SIGHT' & SAID HE NO LONGER NEEDED RADAR SVC. AT 2222 EDT, RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED 2 MI EAST OF TETERBORO & THERE WAS NO FURTHER RADIO CTC WITH THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT HIT TREES & CRASHED NEAR A HILLTOP, WHILE HDG SW OVER AN ARTILLERY RANGE ON THE WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT AFTER RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED, THE ACFT CONTD NORTH BTN 1800' & 1200' MSL UNTIL RADAR CTC WAS LOST APRX 3 MI SOUTH OF THE ARTILLERY RANGE. A WITNESS (2 MI SOUTH OF THE CRASH SITE) SAW AN ACFT CIRCLING AT LOW ALT BEFORE CONTINUING NORTH. SHE SAID CONDS WERE RAINY, CLOUDY & VERY DARK. NO PREIMPACT MECH PROBLEMS WERE FOUND.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.