# NTSB NYC95FA105: Beech BE60, N81TS, Olney, IL, May 9, 1995 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: May 9, 1995, 07:11 local (12:11 UTC) - Place: Olney, IL - Coordinates: 38.730033, -88.080184 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7300&lon=-88.0802&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed, report March 21, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 38853 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC95FA105 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/38853/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC95FA105 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper IFR procedures by descending below the minimum descent altitude and not executing the published missed approach procedures. A factor in thE accident was the low overcast and fog conditions. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, approach - faf/outer marker to threshold (ifr) - weather condition - fog (contributing factor) - weather condition - low ceiling (contributing factor) - ifr procedure - improper, pilot in command (cause) - minimum descent altitude - not complied with, pilot in command (cause) - missed approach - not performed, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR THE LOCALIZER RUNWAY 11 APPROACH. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED IN AN OPEN FIELD APRX 1 MILE NE OF THE AIRPORT AND APRX 600 FT LEFT OF THE EXTENDED CENTERLINE OF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. A WITNESS SAW THE AIRPLANE AT A LOW ALTITUDE, AND STATED 'IT WAS FOGGY,' AND HE DID NOT SEE THE AIRPLANE UNTIL IT WAS DIRECTLY OVER HIS HEAD. THE WITNESS STATED THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE FOR ABOUT '3 SECONDS,' AT AN ALTITUDE OF 'BETWEEN 50 AND 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND,' AND IT DID NOT SOUND LIKE IT WAS HAVING 'MECHANICAL DIFFICULTY.' THE AIRPLANE TURNED LEFT (NORTH), AND STRUCK THE GROUND WITH THE LEFT WING. THE PUBLISHED MISSED APPROACH CALLED FOR A CLIMBING 'RIGHT TURN.' THE OLNEY AIRPORT AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVING SYSTEM (AWOS) WAS OPERATING AND CURRENT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, BUT COULD ONLY BE OBTAINED BY TELEPHONE; HENCE ATC COULD NOT PROVIDE THE PILOT WITH THE CURRENT AWOS INFORMATION. THE PILOT WAS PROVIDED THE EVANSVILLE, INDIANA (EVV) WEATHER; 1,200 SCATTERED, MEASURED 4,500 OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 5 MILES, LIGHT RAIN AND FOG. EVANSVILLE WAS LOCATED APRX 20 MILES SE OF OLNEY. THE LOCAL (AWOS) WEATHER WAS; PARTIAL OBSCURATION, 100 FEET OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 3/4 MILE. ## Factual narrative History of Flight On May 9, 1995, about 0711 central daylight time, a Beech BE60, N81TS, collided with the ground during a localizer (LOC) approach to runway 11 at Olney/Noble Airport, Olney, Illinois. The airplane was destroyed. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The airplane had departed Dixon, Illinois, at 0555, en route to Olney. The business flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. At 0432, the pilot of N81TS, contacted the Automated Flight Service Station and requested a standard weather briefing for a flight from Dixon, to Olney. The specialist provided the pilot the following weather information: ...airmet sierra is current for I F R...that takes in the Olney area basically...for operations above eight thousand feet icing is forecasted across this entire route...I've got scattered to broken coverage broken coverage, moderate to heavy rain showers across Illinois...Evansville's [20 mi SE of Olney] radar paints sixty percent coverage of thunderstorm heavy rain shower...they're located twenty northeast of Evansville...the forecast is optimistically calling for improvement to V F R conditions around 1000 across northern Illinois the airmet of course calls for conditions ending at afternoon...the en route forecast for widely scattered thunderstorms...generally a marginal V F R out look...at a thousand feet there's no cloud top information forecasted or reported...no pilot reports at all. The specialist continued to provide the pilot forecasts for Rockford and Decatur, IL, in addition to Notices to Airmen (NOTAMS) for the Olney/Noble Airport. The pilot told the specialist, "sounds like we have all kinds of weather right." The specialist replied, "yah." The pilot then asked for the Mount Vernon, IL (MVN), weather report. Mount Vernon was located 45 miles southwest of Olney/Noble, Airport. The MVN weather was, "...two hundred scattered, seven thousand five hundred scattered, ten miles [visibility], [temperature] sixty three, [dew point] sixty...calm wind...." The pilot asked if the specialist had said "200 scattered," and specialist answered "that's right." The briefing was ended at 0440:03. Records indicated that the airplane was last refueled at Dixon, April 20, 1995, with 4.3 gallons of fuel. There is no record to indicate if the pilot had flown the airplane after it was refueled on April 20th. After departure, at 0558, the pilot established communications with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Specialist at the CAB Arrival Radar position, Rockford, IL, and requested an IFR clearance. The airplane was radar identified and issued an IFR clearance. According to the ATC Transcript of Communications, at 0645:20, N81TS was located approximately 20 miles northwest of the Olney Airport, and descending to an altitude of 2,600 feet mean sea level (MSL). The pilot was told, "...maintain 2,600 until established cleared localizer runway one one approach Olney/Noble...." At 0645:50, the pilot was told, "...no weather information available for the Olney/Noble Airport...." The specialist gave the pilot the Evansville weather which was: ...twelve hundred scattered, measured ceiling four thousand three hundred overcast, visibility five miles and light rain and fog, the wind is zero eight zero at three, altimeter two niner seven four.... The specialist then advised the pilot "expect visual approach." The pilot responded that he preferred to perform the "ILS Approach" and specialist replied, "...you can expect the ILS approach...." At 0656:53, the pilot was cleared for the localizer runway 11 approach, given the Evansville weather again, and told to report "established." The specialist advised the pilot at 0704:31, that "radar contact [was] lost," 2.5 miles from ALAKE Intersection. The pilot acknowledged the transmission. At 0705:58, the pilot reported "established on the ILS...." The specialist told the pilot to cancel his flight plan on the current frequency, or with Kansas City Center; and a "change to advisory is approved." There was no further communication with the airplane. A witness, standing in the southeast corner of a pasture, approximately 1 mile from the airport and the departure end of runway 11, said he "heard an airplane coming at a low altitude." He said "it was foggy," so he stopped work and looked for the airplane. He did not see the airplane until it was directly over his head. The witness stated that he only saw the airplane for about "3 seconds," and the airplane's altitude appeared to be "between 50 and 100 feet above the ground." In his written statement to the Sheriff, he stated: ...[the airplane was] moving east [away from the airport] and banking to the north [left], the wings were not level. When I could not see it anymore, I went back to work. Less then 10 seconds later I heard it explode on impact. I turned in time to see the fireball...almost directly east of me. It was too foggy to see anything but the fireball...the plane did not sound like it was having mechanical difficulty. It seemed to be running fine. The accident occurred during the hours of day light at approximately 38 degrees, 43 minutes north, and 88 degrees, 09 minutes west. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a Private Pilot Certificate, with multi-engine, single engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. An FAA Third Class Airman Medical Certificate was issued to the pilot on December 11, 1993, with limitations for vision. The pilot's personal logbook was not located. His total flight hours indicated in his last FAA medical application, were 2,150. According to an insurance application, dated February 16, 1995, he claimed 2,808.5, flight hours of which 1,404.5 hours were in Beech BE60 aircraft. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION According to the Airport Manager at the Olney Airport, the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) was operating and current at the time of the accident. However, the current AWOS could only be obtained by telephone, because a VHF radio frequency had not been assigned by the FAA. The current AWOS information could not be provided to the pilot of N81TS. The pilot was cleared for the localizer approach, and given the Evansville (EVV), Indiana weather. Evansville was located approximately 20 miles southeast of Olney. The local (AWOS) weather at 0721 was; partial obscuration, 100 feet overcast, visibility 3/4 mile, temperature 65 degrees F, dew point 64 degrees F, wind 160 degrees, 5 knots, altimeter 29.72 inches Hg. The EVV weather at 0645 was; 1,200 scattered, measured 4,500 overcast, visibility 5 miles, light rain and fog, temperature 67 degrees F, dew point 66 degrees F, wind 080 degrees, 3 knots, altimeter 29.74 inches Hg. The person that was to meet the occupants of N81TS at the Olney Airport said that he arrived at the airport approximately 0715. The airplane was not at the airport and there was "heavy fog." AIDS to NAVIGATION The Localizer [LOC] Runway 11 approach to the airport, frequency was 110.50. The Initial Approach Fix (IAF), LYMON Intersection (INT), was determined by reference to the 328 degree radial of the Samsville VOR (116.6). The IAF was 4.0 nautical miles from the missed approach point (MAP) on the localizer course of 106 degrees. The published minimum descent altitude (MDA), when the pilot was utilizing the Evansville altimeter, was 1,140 feet, which was 658 feet above ground level (482 feet airport elevation). The published missed approach was; "Climbing RIGHT turn to 2000 feet via ILZW [Olney/Noble] LOC WEST course to LYMON INT and hold. At 1732, on May 9, 1995, the Columbia, Missouri, Flight Service Station issued NOTAM 05/047, ## Aircraft - Registration: [N81TS](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N81TS-2017-03-22), registration cancelled 2017-03-22, S/N P-374, built 1975 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH BE60 - Registry model: [Beech B-60](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-b-60) (registry code 1153605) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming TI0-541 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-541-series) (registry code 41536, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: P374 - Airframe hours: 1079 - Engines: LYCOMING TIO-541-E1C4 380 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Registered owner: Leonard Schroetlin - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 13, 1994, 83 hours before - Departed: C73, DIXON, IL - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: OLY, Olney/Noble, runway 11, 4,100 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 2,805 total, 1,405 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 5 knots - Visibility: 0.75 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 100 ft overcast - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 64 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: OLY, 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19950509010869A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950509010869A), May 9, 1995: Beech B60, Onley/Noble, IL, Destroyed, 2 fatal. Aircraft overshot runway and crashed while on localizer approach. (-23) on may 9, 1995, N81TS, a Beechcraft B-60 (duke), crashed one mile east of the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.