Fairchild MERLIN IIIA N636SP
7 November 1995 · Butler, Pennsylvania, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 November 1995 at about 21:30 local time, a Fairchild MERLIN IIIA registered N636SP was involved in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Butler, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nearest airport
- Butler County (BTP)
- Coordinates
- 41.1596, -79.6509
- Aircraft
- Fairchild MERLIN IIIA
- Registration
- N636SP
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Executive/Corporate
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Du Bois → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC96LA026
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to perform a missed approach, when the airplane was not properly aligned with the landing runway; and his failure to properly flare the airplane, which resulted in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot and copilot flew four ILS approaches at their destination airport. The first three attempts resulted in missed approaches, of which two were due to non-alignment with the runway. During the last ILS approach, the airplane cleared the clouds at 300 feet above the ground and 150 feet right of the runway. The pilot banked the airplane left, then right, to align the airplane with the runway. The airplane landed hard on the left main wheels, followed by the nose wheel, then the right main wheels. Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact failure of the airplane or engines. The fuel flow of both engines were set to allow a maximum rate of descent when the engines were at idle. The pilot had initially reported that he, 'didn't know what happened...the airplane just seemed to suddenly quit flying, and fell out of the sky.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct 1995 | Enstrom 280C | Quakertown, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 3 Dec 1995 | Cessna 152 | Rush Township, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Oct 1995 | Piper PA-28-140 | Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 Oct 1995 | Kelosky PULSAR XP | Zelienople, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 1995 | Agusta A109C | Jackson Twp, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 13 Oct 1995 | Teague PITTS S-1S | Erwinna, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |