# Accident 19960108000169A: Cessna 401A, Spokane, WA, January 8, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 8, 1996, 19:07 local time
- Place: Spokane, WA
- Airport: Spokane International
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: PS7A
- Location: 47.6398° N, 117.5898° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.6398&lon=-117.5898&mi=10
- Aircraft: N117AC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N117AC-1997-02-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 401A (registry code 207590D, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-401a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 401A
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO520E
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 3,500 total, 70 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA96FA040](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA96FA040) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960108000169A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

VECTORED FOR ILS APPROACH, ON LANDING, HIT A BUILDING ON SHORT FINAL. (.4)THE PILOT (PLT) RECEIVED ABBREVIATED WEATHER (WX) BRIEFING FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE (EMS)/AIR AMBULANCE FLIGHT (FLT). BEFORE FLT, HE EXPRESSED ANXIETY ABOUT POSSIBLE LOW VISIBILITY FOR LANDING & TIMELY TRANSPORT OF DYING PATIENT. DURING ILS RUNWAY 3 APPROACH (RWY 3 APCH), AIRCRAFT (ACFT) REMAINED WELL ABOVE THE GLIDE SLOPE UNTIL CLOSE TO THE MIDDLE MARKER; ACFT'S SPEED DECREASED FROM 153 TO 100 KTS, WHILE VERTICAL SPEED INCREASED FROM 711'/MIN TO ABOUT 1,250'/MIN DESCENT. ABOUT 1 MI FROM RWY & 500' AGL (IN FOG), ACFT ABRUPTLY TURNED LEFT OF LOCALIZER COURSE & GRADUALLY DESCENDED WITH NO DISTRESS CALL FROM PLT. ACFT HIT A POLE, THEN FLEW INTO A BUILDING & BURNED. LOW CEILING, FOG & DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS PREVAILED. PLT (RECENT EX-MILITARY HELICOPTER PLT) HAD LOGGED/REPORTED 3500 HRS OF FLT TIME & ABOUT 150 HRS IN MULTIENGINE AIRPLANES, BUT THERE WAS EVIDENCE HE LACKED EXPERIENCE WITH ACTUAL INSTRUMENT APCHS IN FIXED-WING ACFT; HE HAD DIFFICULTY WITH INSTRUMENT FLYING DURING RECENT TRAINING & FAA CHECK FLTS. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND WITH ACFT/ENGINES. NO ILS ANOMALIES WERE FOUND. FLT N     URSE WAS USING CELLULAR PHONE, BUT NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND OF INTERFERENCE WITH ACFT'S NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM. VISIBILITY & CEILING DESTINATION WERE LESS THAN FORECAST AT TIME OF PLT'S PREFLT WX BRIEFING.  PARAMEDIC WAS ONLY SURVIOR.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA96FA040](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA96FA040), Jan 9, 1996: Cessna 401A (N117AC), Spokane, WA, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: failure of the pilot to follow proper IFR procedures, by failing to maintain proper alignment with the localizer course during the ILS approach and/or by failing to follow the proper missed approach…

## Other reports on N117AC (2)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19900303020769I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19900303020769I), Mar 3, 1990: Cessna 401A (N117AC), Spokane, WA, Minor damage. Pilot stated he inadvertently forgot to place the landing gear down and landed gear up.
- [Incident 19870611040999I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870611040999I), Jun 11, 1987: Cessna 401A (N117AC), Dalhart, TX, Minor damage. Aircraft struck an unmanned moving tractor mower during landing rollout at night.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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