- Date
- October 9, 1985, 20:50 local (Oct 10, 1985, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Cadillac, MI
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N254PWGulfstream 690A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851009049709A
- Case key
- 13226
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft was cleared for an NDB approach to Cadillac. The wkwas 300 ft ovcst, 1 mile vis. Shortly after cancelling IFR the acft crashed on the opposite side of the arpt from the approach end of the rwy. The pilot activated rwy lights were never turned on during the approach. It was a newly commissioned system not yet on approach plates. They were on a NOTAM. An ntap revealed that the acft was following the RNAV final approach course rather than the NDB final approach course. In addition, a lighted christmas tree farm was located adjacent to the airport. Lastly, no evidence of mechanical malfunction could be found in the wreckage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N254PW
- Reported as
- Gulfstream 690A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11275
- Airframe hours
- 6,678
- Engine
- Garrett TPE331-5-252K, 715 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas Wiles, doing business as National Flight Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 28, 1985 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- TOL · Toledo, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CAD · Wexford County, runway 25, 4,542 × 100 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,762 total · 87 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.