- Date
- February 4, 2002, 19:07 local (Feb 5, 2002, 01:07 UTC)
- Place
- Hobbs, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N794CAPiper PA-31T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 7, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20020204001299A
- Case key
- 54129
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 the proper glidepath during the instrument approach. Contributing factors were the dark night light conditions and the pilot's diverted attention.
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
At the conclusion of a dark night IMC cross-country flight, the pilot was being vectored onto the ILS approach. After stabilizing, the approach "was normal." At decision altitude, the pilot indicated that he could see the approach lights and the runway, but was not in a position to land so he executed a missed approach. After being vectored around for another approach, he stated that he was on the localizer but was "high" on the glide slope. After giving "a little" nose down pitch, he became distracted when the auto-pilot became "accidentally disengaged." The pilot stated that he "inadvertently descended through the glide slope and impacted the ground short of the runway." He further stated that the "first indication" that he was low was when the aircraft "struck the ground." The aircraft was destroyed on impact. A facility check conducted by the FAA of the ILS found all parameters within normal specifications.
Factual narrative
On February 4, 2002, at 1907 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-31T twin-engine airplane, N794CA, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 3 at the Lea County Municipal Airport, Hobbs, New Mexico. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. Dark night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from Las Vegas, Nevada, at 1700.
In a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot stated that he was being vectored onto the ILS runway 3 at Hobbs by Fort Worth Center (FTW ARTCC). After stabilizing, the approach "was normal." At decision altitude, he indicated that he could see the approach lights and the runway, but was not in a position to land so he executed a missed approach. After being vectored around for another approach, he stated that he was on the localizer but was "high" on the glide slope. After giving "a little" nose down pitch, he became distracted when the auto-pilot became "accidentally disengaged." The pilot stated that he "inadvertently descended through the glide slope and impacted the ground short of the runway." He further stated that the "first indication" that he was low was when the aircraft "struck the ground." The aircraft was destroyed on impact.
The FAA conducted a facility check of the ILS runway 3 approach on February 6, 2002. All parameters were found within normal specifications.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N794CA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-8120018
- Airframe hours
- 4,900
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney PT6-28, 620 horsepower, turbo propPratt & Whitney PT6-28, 620 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert D. Calhoon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 15, 2001 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- HOB · Hobbs, NM
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- HOB · Lea County Municipal
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
- 55
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 18, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,893 total · 765 in this make and model · 2,893 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- HOB
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 21, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.0 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.