Aerostar 601 N162GA

Summary

On 27 January 1996 at about 06:20 local time, a Aerostar 601 registered N162GA, operated by Grand Air Express, was involved in an accident near Mount Storm, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and 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

27 January 1996 at 06:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Mount Storm, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

39.2697, -79.2406

Aircraft

Aerostar 601

Registration

N162GA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Grand Air Express

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Rapids → Norfolk

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

BFO96LA040

1 person was seriously injured.

loss of power in the right engine for undetermined reason(s), and the accumulation of structural ice on the airplane, which resulted in an increased rate of descent and a subsequent forced landing before the pilot could reach an alternate airport. Factors relating to the accident were: the adverse weather (icing) conditions, darkness, fog, and the lack of suitable terrain in the emergency landing area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the airplane was in cruise flight at 8,000 feet MSL, when the right engine lost power. He advised ATC of the loss of power and received radar vectors toward an airport. The pilot said he maintained the best single-engine rate-of-climb speed, but the airplane's altitude 'drifted down.' When the airplane entered clouds, it began to accumulate structural icing and would not maintain sufficient altitude. The airplane impacted mountainous terrain about 16 miles northwest of the airport. The pilot stated that he had departed on the cargo flight with 5 hours of fuel on board for what he estimated to be a 2 1/2 hour flight. Also, he reported that conditions were dark and foggy, when the accident occurred. Postaccident examination of the engines and their systems revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact failure of the airframe or its systems. During a postaccident engine test run, the right engine started normally and operated satisfactorily.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.