# Accident 19961216039439A: Cessna 425, Islip, NY, December 16, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 16, 1996, 18:40 local time
- Place: Islip, NY
- Airport: Long Island Mac Arthur
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.7304° N, 73.1291° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7304&lon=-73.1291&mi=10
- Aircraft: N425EW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N425EW-2005-10-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 425 (registry code 2076018, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-425) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A (registry code 52043, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-60a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 425
- Reported engine: PWA PT6A112
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 10,846 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC97FA030](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97FA030) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961216039439A

## Narrative

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

CLEARED FOR APPROACH, LOST RADAR CONTACT ON FINAL, SEARCH AND RESCUE CALLED. FOUND IN STATE PARK. (.4) THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED CLEARANCE FOR THE ILS RUNWAY 6 APPROACH AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE PREVIOUS LANDING TRAFFIC REPORTED '...BREAKING OUT AT MINIMUMS.' RADAR DATA REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS TO THE DECISION HEIGHT ALTITUDE OF 294 FEET, APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES FROM THE MISSED APPROACH POINT. THE PILOT DID NOT PERFORM THE MISSED APPROACH PROCEDURE. THE AIRPLANE LEVELED OFF AND CONTINUED AT OR BELOW DECISION HEIGHT ALTITUDE FOR APPROXIMATELY 28 SECONDS, TRAVELING A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE. FOUR LOW ALTITUDE ALERTS APPEARED ON THE TOWER CONTROLLER'S DISPLAY. THE CONTROLLER STATED HE WITHHELD THE ALERT BECAUSE '...IT WAS A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT AND THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE CLIMBING...' THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES AND TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE LANDING RUNWAY.

## 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 NYC97FA030](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97FA030), Dec 16, 1996: Cessna 425 (N425EW), Bohemia, NY, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's early descent to decision height and his failure to perform the missed approach procedure. A factor was the failure of air traffic control to issue a safety advisory.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.