- Date
- February 14, 1992, 08:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lanai, HI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N33APBeech D-18H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920214002989A
- Case key
- 27557
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
Failure of the pilot to compensate for an encounter with a windshear phenomena. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a low level windshear warning system or a system for the collection and dissemination of weather advisories.
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 said that the approach to the airport was normal, with a 100 knot indicated airspeed. The pilot said the winds were about 110 degrees at 10 knots during the approach; however, on short final he encountered a very strong gust from the right. The pilot corrected for the wind gust then it stopped and the aircraft suddenly dropped hard to the runway without warning. The pilot said he suspected a windshear encounter was responsible for the accident. Witnesses said the approach seemed normal when the aircraft suddenly dropped to the runway and bounced. The witnesses said that a thunderstorm had passed through the area just prior to the aircraft's approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33AP
- Reported as
- Beech D-18H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- BA-748
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Polynesian Airways
- Registered owner
- Polynesian Airways
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- HNL · Honolulu, HI
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- LNY · Lanai, runway 3, 5,000 × 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
- 47
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,571 total · 464 in this make and model · 1,429 as pilot in command · 96 in the last 90 days · 43 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LNY, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.