- Date
- February 7, 2020, 04:15 local (08:15 UTC)
- Place
- Baltimore, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N988FXCessna 208
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR final approach: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/CMO, FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200207002779A
- Case key
- 100912
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 failure to maintain clearance from the approach lights during an instrument approach.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was conducting an instrument landing system approach in night instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot was using the autopilot for the approach to the destination airport and disengaged it when he had the runway and airport lighting system in view. The pilot reported that, as he approached the runway, he heard a sound and thought the airplane had hit a bird. He felt the airplane pitch up, so he increased engine power and pitched down to reach the runway. After the pilot landed and taxied to the ramp, he saw that a large piece of an approach light was caught on the right main landing gear. Further examination revealed that the empennage, right horizontal stabilizer, right wing strut, and front cargo pod had sustained substantial damage. The operator reported that the airplane had struck four approach light towers and a localizer antenna.
Factual narrative
The pilot was conducting an instrument landing system approach in night instrument meteorological conditions to the destination airport. The pilot was utilizing the autopilot for the approach and disengaged it when he had the runway and airport lighting system in view. As he approached the runway, the pilot heard a sound and thought the airplane had hit a bird. He felt the airplane pitch up so he increased engine power and pitched down in order to reach the runway. After the pilot landed and taxied to the ramp, he saw that a large piece of an approach light was caught on the airplane's right main landing gear. Further inspection revealed that the airplane's empennage, right horizontal stabilizer, right wing strut, and front cargo pod were also damaged. The operator reported that the airplane had struck four separate approach light towers as well as a localizer antenna.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N988FX
- Reported as
- Cessna 208 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 208B2400
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 3,497.4
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A, 675 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Mountain Air Cargo Inc
- Registered owner
- Federal Express Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 26, 2019 · 97 hours before
- Departed
- EWR · Newark, NJ
- Destination
- BWI · Baltimore, MD
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BWI · Baltimore/Washington Intl Thur, runway 10, 10,503 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 23, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,011 total · 400 in this make and model · 1,352 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1.8 statute miles
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.18 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 7, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.