- Date
- January 21, 1997, 17:32 local (22:32 UTC)
- Place
- Bloomington, IN
- Injuries
- 11 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N404EWBeech 300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970121000729A
- Case key
- 10511
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 excessive distance/speed during the landing which led to his failure to attain a proper touchdown point on the runway. The factors involved were: the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, his failure proceed to the destination airport, pressure to land at the airport, and the weather conditions.
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 was flying his second ILS approach for runway 35 after performing a missed approach on his first ILS approach. The control tower reported 1/8 of a mile visibility in fog. The tower controller reported that the airplane was approximately 200-300 feet above the runway mid-field of the 6500-foot runway. The contract controller observed the airplane landing long and skidded off the end of the runway into the snow, collapsing the landing gear. There was interest by the pilot and his employer to land for a Indiana-Michigan basketball game. Weather minimums for the ILS 35 approach include 1/2 mile visibility.
Factual narrative
On January 21, 1997, at 1732 eastern standard time (est), a Beech 300, N404EW, registered to E W Marine of Elkhart, Indiana, and operated by a Airline Transport pilot, ran off the end of runway 35 (6500' x 150' wet/asphalt) after experiencing a tailwind on touchdown at Monroe Country Airport, Bloomington, Indiana. The airplane sustained substantial damage when its landing gear collapsed. The pilot and ten passengers reported no injuries. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in instrument meteorological conditions. An IFR flight plan was filed. The airport weather at the time of the accident was reported as 1/8 mile in fog with a variable ceiling of 200 feet. The flight departed Elkhart, Indiana, exact time unknown.
According to the pilot's written statement, he was on the approach for the ILS runway 35 at Monroe County Airport, when the pilot sighted the runway at decision height (DH) and continued to land. The pilot used brakes and reverse thrust upon seeing the snow at the end of the runway but the airplane continued beyond the end of the runway. The pilot stated regarding how he could have prevented this accident by saying, "Not shoot approach with less than 1/2 mile visibility."
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector said the pilot attempted to land after a missed approach with 1/8 mile visibility reported by the Control Tower. A Contract Controller reported airplane was 200-300 feet off the runway at mid-field of 6500' runway. The Contract Controller observed the airplane land long and skidded off the end of the runway, ending up about 200 yards off the end. The airplane went through a snowbank and about 6" to 8" of snow in the field at the end of the runway. The landing gear collapsed after leaving the runway environment. There were two airplanes ahead of this airplane that both went missed approach and diverted to their alternate destination. The FAA Inspector stated that there was some interest in going to the Indiana/Michigan Basketball game by the pilot and his employer. The U. S. Terminal Procedures for the ILS 35 approach, require a weather minimum of 200' and 1/2 mile visibility.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N404EW
- Reported as
- Beech 300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- FA-186
- Airframe hours
- 3,395
- Engine
- P&W PT6-60A, 1,050 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- E W Marine
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 4, 1996
- Departed
- EKM · Elkhart, IN
- Destination
- BMG
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BMG · Monroe County, runway 35, 6,500 × 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
- 43
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 800 in this make and model · 6,061 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 0.12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BMG
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.