- Date
- September 6, 1985, 20:05 local (Sep 7, 1985, 01:05 UTC)
- Place
- Pensacola, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6177KCessna 150USNNorth American T-2C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850906071921A
- Case key
- 31260
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 commercial plt & CFI departed from gulfport, ms on a night VFR x-country flt to gulf shores. Al. The flt landed at foley, al after the plt mistook foley for gulfshores 10 mi south. The flt departed again & was advised by ATC to fly a heading of 170 deg for gulfshores. Contact between the flt & ATC was then terminated due to distance & alt consideration. The plt then observed the lights of other acft east of him & assumed them to be in the touch & go pattern at gulfshores. The lights he had observed were those of navy jet training a position. The navy acft were executing left traffic bu the civil plt entered into rt traffic & sequenced himself between the acft on final apch. The faster jet acft overtook the civil & a midair collision occured. Both acft landed safely & there were no injures. The civil plt stated that he did not know how to distinguish a civil arpt beacon from a military arpt beacon.
The commercial plt & CFI departed from gulfport, ms on a night VFR x-country flt to gulf shores. Al. The flt landed at foley, al after the plt mistook foley for gulfshores 10 mi south. The flt departed again & was advised by ATC to fly a heading of 170 deg for gulfshores. Contact between the flt & ATC was then terminated due to distance & alt consideration. The plt then observed the lights of other acft east of him & assumed them to be in the touch & go pattern at gulfshores. The lights he had observed were those of navy jet training a position. The navy acft were executing left traffic but the civil plt entered into rt traffic & sequencecd himself between the acft on final apch. The faster jet acft overtook the civil & a midair collision occurred. Both acft landed safely & there were no injures. The civil plt stated that he did not know how to distinguish a civil arpt beacon from a miltary arpt beacon.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N6177K
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15077572
- Airframe hours
- 2,515
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John L.Griffin,Jr.
- Registered owner
- Personal Aircraft Service Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 4, 1985 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- 5R4 · Foley, AL
- Destination
- AL15 · Gulf Shores, AL
- Airport
- NPA · Pensacol, runway 25R, 8,000 × 200 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.
- Registration
- USN
- Reported as
- North American T-2C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 158876
- Airframe hours
- 4,670
- Engine
- GE J-85GE-4, 2,950 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Armed forces
- Operator
- Ensign Robert J. Windas
- Registered owner
- U.S. Navy
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 5, 1985 · 137 hours before
- Departed
- NPA · Pensacola, FL
- Airport
- NPA · Pensacol, runway 25R, 8,000 × 200 ft, asphalt
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N6177K
- Age
- 30
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 344 total · 275 in this make and model · 212 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft 2
- Age
- 24
- Certificate
- Military
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 155 total · 82 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NPA, 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.