- Date
- September 21, 1990, 05:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3558Piper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 26657
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
VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain proper altitude during the approach to land. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, the adverse weather conditions, and failure of company/operator/management personnel to provide current weather.
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 on a night flt fm phoenix to Flagstaff, AZ, to deliver cargo in accordance with an air taxi delivery schedule. Bfr reaching Flagstaff, the plt canceled his IFR clnc & proceeded VFR. He enctrd lowering cigs & rw. Drg the apch, he extended the lndg gear & partially extended the wing flaps. Subsequently, the acft hit trees & crashed in an unpopulated area abt 2.5 mi sse of the arpt at an elev of abt 6800 ft; arpt elev was 7011 ft. initial impact occurred while the acft was in a right 20 deg bank (toward rwy 3). Wx data at the company dispatch was not current & did not depict the adverse local conds near the destn arpt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3558
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8052072
- Airframe hours
- 5,293
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- P.M. Air
- Registered owner
- Mitrovich P. Edrag
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 12, 1990 · 46 hours before
- Departed
- PHX · Phoenix, AZ
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- FLG · Flagstaff
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 2,500 in this make and model · 75 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FLG, 2 nm away