- Date
- January 18, 1996, 19:30 local (Jan 19, 1996, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Allentown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N888TPMitsubishi MU-2B-6
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 20, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960118000729A
- Case key
- 39143
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 pilot's failure to comply with IFR procedures in that he attempted an instrument approach with visibility below the required minimums, and his delayed execution of a missed approach. A factor was the reduced visibility due to clouds.
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 flight was on the ILS approach to runway 6, broke out of the clouds at 500 feet, and then re-entered the clouds. The airplane had not yet touched down when it drifted to right of the runway centerline and struck a snow bank located in the grass to the right of the runway, between the runway and the taxiway. The pilot stated he was just starting the missed approach when the accident occurred, and '...that there was no indication of a malfunction of the aircraft.' The reported ceiling was, 100 sky obscured, and the visibility was 1/4 mile, wind 040 degrees, 6 knots.
Factual narrative
On January 18, 1996, about 1930 eastern standard time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-6, N888TP, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91, business flight, and crashed in the vicinity of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The flight had departed Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, en route to Allentown at 1900. The private pilot received minor injuries, and the two passengers were not injured.
The flight was on the ILS approach to runway 6, broke out of the clouds at 500 feet, and then re-entered the clouds. The pilot stated he could not see the runway threshold lights. The airplane had not yet touched down when it drifted to right of the runway centerline, struck a snow bank located in the grass to the right of the runway, between the runway and the taxiway. The pilot stated to the FAA that he was just starting the missed approach when the accident occurred.
According to the FAA the pilot stated, "...that when he added power, the aircraft['s] right wing hit the snow bank (right of runway 6)...[and] that there was no indication of a malfunction of the aircraft."
The Allentown 1915 weather was; 100 sky obscured, visibility 1/4 mile, temperature 38 degrees F, dew point 37 degrees F, wind 040 degrees, 6 knots, altimeter 30.00 inches Hg.
The Instrument Landing System [ILS] Runway 06 approach to the airport, frequency was 110.70. The Initial Approach Fix (IAF), LEEHI, Locator Outer Marker (LOM), was 5.4 nautical miles from the missed approach point (MAP) on the localizer (LOC) course of 061 degrees.
The published decision height (DH), was 594 feet, which was 200 feet above ground level (394 feet airport elevation). The minimum visibility for the approach was 1/2 nautical mile.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N888TP
- Reported as
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-6
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1541SA
- Airframe hours
- 2,788
- Engine
- Garrett TPE331-10-511, 940 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William C. Benskin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 30, 1995 · 36 hours before
- Departed
- AVP · Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Destination
- ABE
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ABE · Lehigh Valley, runway 6, 7,600 × 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,265 total · 350 in this make and model · 117 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 0.25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.