# Accident 19980301002179A: Piper PA31, Presque Isle, ME, March 1, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 1, 1998, 03:52 local time
- Place: Presque Isle, ME
- Airport: Northern Maine Regional Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Initial Approach-IFR
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: BRDA
- Location: 46.7739° N, 68.0712° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs from the FAA’s distance and direction from , within about 2 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.7739&lon=-68.0712&mi=10
- Aircraft: N777HM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N777HM-1998-09-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31 (registry code 7103103, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 1,057 total, 440 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98FA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA071) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980301002179A

## Narrative

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

BIRD AIR TAXI CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRC, 2 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJ, ACFT WAS DESTROYED, PRESQUE ISLE, ME. (.4)THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A NIGHT VOR/DME APPROACH DURING WHICH INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED.  THE AIRPLANE WAS EQUIPPED WITH VOR, LORAN, AND R-NAV RECEIVERS. THERE WERE TWO STEP-DOWNS FIXES ON THE APPROACH.  AT 13 DME THE MINIMUM ALTITUDE WAS 1,800 FEET.  AT 10 DME THE MINIMUM ALTITUDE WAS 1,040 FEET. THE MISSED APPROACH POINT WAS AT 6 DME, AND THE VOR/DME TRANSMITTER WAS LOCATED 5.5 MILES BEYOND THE AIRPORT.  RADAR DATA REVEALED A DESCENT PROFILE BASED UPON DISTANCES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY, RATHER THAN DME FROM THE VOR.  THE AIRPLANE REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF 1,000 FEET WHEN IT WAS 13.52 MILES FROM THE VOR, AND 7.58 MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY.  IT SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED RISING TERRAIN AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 900 FEET, ABOUT 11.5 MILES FROM THE VOR, AND 5.5 MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY.  IMPACT DAMAGE AND A POST-CRASH FIRE PRECLUDED A CHECK OF THE RADIO SET UP AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.  ACCORDING TO FAR 135 A PILOT-IN-COMMAND WAS REQUIRED TO HAVE 1,200 HOURS TOTAL TIME.  THE INVESTI                                            ON DOCUMENTED THE PILOT'S TOTAL TIME AS ABOUT 1,057 HOURS. (-23) AIRCRAFT WAS EXECUTING A VOR/DME RWY 1 APPROACH INTO PQI. THE PILOT DESCENDED TO 1040 FT., THE APPROACH MINIMUMS, FROM 3000 FT. APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES BEFORE THE STEPDOWN FIX.  THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK GREEN MOUNTAIN AT 1040 FT. DURING CONTROLLED FLIGHT INTO TERRAIN.

## 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 NYC98FA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA071), Mar 1, 1998: Piper PA-31-310 (N777HM), Presque Isle, ME, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to follow the published instrument approach procedure and his descent below the minimum descent altitude. Contributing factors were the night conditions, low ceilings, and fog.

## Other reports on N777HM (3)

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

- [Incident 19940803048509I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940803048509I), Aug 3, 1994: Piper PA31310 (N777HM), Albany, NY, Minor damage. NR2 cylinder right engine separated en route. Shutdown. Diverted alb. Cause cylinder failure undetermined.
- [Incident 19940425014519I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940425014519I), Apr 25, 1994: Piper PA31310 (N777HM), Albany, NY. Right engine failure on climb. Returned. Found crankshaft had failed.
- [Incident 19911012054249I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19911012054249I), Oct 12, 1991: Piper PA31 (N777HM), Portland, ME, Minor damage. Lost spinner from right propeller on takeoff. Landed safely on return to airport.

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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