- Date
- February 18, 1993, 20:15 local (Feb 19, 1993, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsfield, ME
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6192APiper PA-31T1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930218003059A
- Case key
- 11900
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate inflight decision to continue a landing without runway lights, and his delay in initiating a go-around. A related factor was the pilot's over confidence in his ability.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot tried to activate the radio-controlled runway boundary lights about 10 miles away, and also while he was in the traffic pattern, but he was unsuccessful. He continued his descent to approximately 500 feet above the ground using the VASI (visual approach slope indicator) lights. The pilot stated that he had the airport in sight and' felt well enough in sight to complete landing.' The airplane touched down in approximately 18 inches of snow 60 feet off the right side of the runway. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction. He said as he got closer to the ground he realized it was snow-mobile tracks and not the runway. He tried to go-around but the airplane impacted the ground collapsing the nosegear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6192A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-7904009
- Airframe hours
- 3,952
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-11, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Cianbro Corp.
- Registered owner
- Cianbro Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 24, 1992 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- PWM · Portland, ME
- Airport
- 2B7 · Pittsfield Muni, runway 1, 4,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 8,000 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 30° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 10 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BGR, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6192A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.