- Date
- July 28, 1990, 22:05 local (Jul 29, 1990, 03:05 UTC)
- Place
- North Andover, MA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N333EPPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900728028869A
- Case key
- 36542
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 controller issued an unauthorized alternate missed approach procedure that did not provide adequate terrain clearance, and the pilot delayed obtaining a proper rate of climb during the missed approach. Factors related to the accident were: darkness and the weather and terrain conditions.
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
When the pilot reported a missed approach, the tower controller issued an alternate missed approach procedure as instructed by the approach controller. Specifically, the tower controller told the pilot '. . . For your missed approach turn right heading 180 climb and maintain 2000.' The pilot executed the controller's instructions, turned right and flew toward rising terrain. Witnesses heard the engines prior to impact, but there was no indication that the pilot aggressively started to climb. The aircraft collided with the tops of 100 ft tall trees about 1/4 mi east of the airport and to the right of the runway centerline. The terrain rose from an elevation of 149 ft at the threshold of runway 5 to about 200 ft at the crash site. The missed approach procedure (that was issued by the controller) was not authorized as per air traffic control manual 7110.65.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N333EP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-30
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sharqi & Mohammad Al-Sharqi
- Departed
- ISO · Kingston, NC
- Destination
- LWM · Lawrence, MA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LWM · Lawrence Muni, runway 5, 4,997 × 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
- 53
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- LWM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.