- Date
- July 19, 1985, 03:43 local (07:43 UTC)
- Place
- Erie, PA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N71MASmith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850719036939A
- Case key
- 35574
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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
During a normal IFR cruise flight, the pilot of air Ohio flight 21, did not respond to ATC instructions. Air Ohio flight 21 continued for 40 minutes with no reply and without deviation in altitude or heading until the discrete target disappeared from radar over lake Erie. The pilot had not slept for approximately 30 hours prior to the loss of communication response.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71MA
- Reported as
- Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601 (AEROSTAR 6)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 61-0217-094
- Airframe hours
- 2,475
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-S1AS, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Don Evans, doing business as North Coast Aviation
- Registered owner
- John L. Delassus
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 23, 1985 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- SDF · Louisville, KY
- Destination
- BFT · Cleveland, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,200 total · 22 in this make and model · 179 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ERI, 12 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.