# Fatal NTSB investigations: Flight instrument malf/fail NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports. ## Latest cases - [NTSB ERA23LA135](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23LA135.md): Bombardier BD-100-1A10 · Windsor Locks, CT · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 2 · Limited · Final report · Mar 3, 2023 · N300ER · Minor damage > The flight crew’s failure to remove the right side pitot probe cover before flight, their decision to depart with a No-Go advisory message following an aborted takeoff, and their selection of the incorrect non-normal checklist in flight, which resulted in an… - [NTSB ANC23FA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC23FA008.md): Raytheon C90A · Kaupo, HI · Accident · 3 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Dec 15, 2022 · N13GZ · Substantial damage > Guardian Flight’s inadequate pilot training and performance tracking, which failed to identify and correct the pilot’s consistent lack of skill, and which resulted in the pilot’s inability to maintain his position inflight using secondary instruments to… - [NTSB ERA20FA021](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20FA021.md): Piper PA28R · Atlanta, GA · Accident · 2 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Oct 30, 2019 · N56258 · Destroyed > The pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation while flying in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the vacuum pump and its associated instruments. - [NTSB ERA19FA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19FA130.md): Mooney M20C · Cashiers, NC · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Mar 14, 2019 · N6075Q · Destroyed > The pilot's loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation while flying in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the vacuum pump and its associated instruments. - [NTSB WPR18FA218](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18FA218.md): Mooney M20K · Baker City, OR · Accident · 2 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Aug 11, 2018 · N231EC · Substantial damage > The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during the landing approach as a result of his diversion of attention after a series of non-essential aircraft systems became inoperative following the failure of the engine-driven vacuum pump,… - [NTSB WPR14FA349](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA349.md): Beech V35B · Novato, CA · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Aug 19, 2014 · N1160T · Substantial damage > The instrument-rated pilot's decision to conduct a visual approach to the airport in night, instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's loss of situational awareness, the… - [NTSB CEN14FA278](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN14FA278.md): Hermann Bjorn Lancair IV · Duluth, MN · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jun 7, 2014 · N86NW · Substantial damage > The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while operating in instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions, which was due to spatial disorientation resulting from erroneous heading and bank angle information shown on the primary flight display. Contributing… - [NTSB ERA14FA168](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14FA168.md): Piper PA-44-180 · Brunswick, GA · Accident · 2 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Mar 24, 2014 · N923RS · Destroyed > An inflight failure of the airplane's only operating vacuum pump, which resulted in the loss of attitude information provided by vacuum-driven flight instruments. Also causal was the pilots' failure to maintain control of the airplane while operating in… - [NTSB ERA13FA275](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA13FA275.md): Cessna 340A · Boynton Beach, FL · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jun 8, 2013 · N217JP · Destroyed > The pilot’s loss of situational awareness, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall/spin after he climbed the airplane back into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to continue… - [NTSB CEN12FA164](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12FA164.md): Piper PA-24-250 · Albany, TX · Accident · 2 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Feb 21, 2012 · N7147P · Substantial damage > The loss of flight instrumentation due to a failed vacuum pump while flying a night without a discernable horizon, which resulted in the pilot's spatial disorientation and an in-flight loss of control and impact with terrain. Contributing was the continued… - [NTSB ERA09FA376](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA09FA376.md): Pilatus PC-12/45 · Raphine, VA · Accident · 4 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jul 5, 2009 · N578DC · Substantial damage > The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while in instrument meteorological conditions following a reported instrumentation failure for undetermined reasons. - [NTSB NYC08FA215](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC08FA215.md): Cessna P337H · Cape Elizabeth, ME · Accident · 2 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jun 15, 2008 · N15EM · Destroyed > The pilot's improper decision to continue the flight in instrument meteorological conditions after experiencing an attitude indicator malfunction. - [NTSB DFW08FA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08FA056.md): Aero Commander 500B · Tulsa, OK · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jan 17, 2008 · N712AT · Substantial damage > The pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation and the pilot exceeding the design/stress limits of the aircraft. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's reported gyro problem, the dark night conditions, and prevailing instrument… ## The whole list in SQL Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS: ```sql SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1 WHERE c."highestInjuryLevel" = 'Fatal' AND c."mKey" IN (SELECT s.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' s WHERE s."tier2Number" = '334' AND s.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' WHERE "isDefiningEvent")) ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC ``` This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/334/sequence?fatal=1 --- 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.