Bellanca 14-19 N522A

Summary

On 17 July 2006 at about 05:32 local time, a Bellanca 14-19 registered N522A was involved in an accident near Arcata, California, 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

17 July 2006 at 05:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Arcata, California, United States

Coordinates

40.8342, -124.0125

Aircraft

Bellanca 14-19

Registration

N522A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colusa → Arcata Airport

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

LAX06FA233

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to follow the prescribed instrument approach procedure and to maintain the proper glide slope and altitude/clearance from obstacles while on an instrument landing system approach, resulting in a collision with trees. Contributing to the accident was the dark night lighting conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was receiving flight following from air traffic control (ATC). While en route to the destination airport, the weather deteriorated to instrument flight rules conditions. He requested the instrument landing system (ILS) approach. ATC cleared him for a procedure turn to the ILS approach course, and to cross the initial approach fix (IAF) at or above 5,200 feet. The runway threshold was 316 degrees at 14.7 miles from the IAF. Recorded radar data indicated that the airplane began descending prior to reaching the IAF; the airplane was 800 feet low while still 1 mile from it. The airplane continued descending until colliding with trees. It was on the approximate localizer approach path, but the debris path was on a heading about 90 degrees off the approach course. The airplane's last reported Mode C altitude was 1,600 feet mean seal level (msl). The wreckage was about 11 nautical miles from the runway at an elevation of about 1,735 feet. The glide slope altitude was 1,753 feet at the outer marker (OM), which was 4.6 nm from the runway threshold.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.