NYC98FA095

The pilot departed Florida and made a fuel stop in Virginia. Later during a night precision instrument approach under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) to Farmingdale, New York, the airplane struck trees. The pilot executed a missed approach that did not comply with published procedures, and was then offered several alternate airports, some under visual meteorological conditions. The pilot chose a divert airport which was IMC, and for which he did not have the precision approach charts. The approach information was provided by air traffic control. During the approach, the pilot was advised by the tower controller that his landing lights could be seen over the approach end of the runway as the airplane was 'going back into the clouds.' The airplane was next observed well left of the runway. The pilot was asked his altitude and he responded '300 feet.' The tower controller gave the pilot a vector and told him to contact approach control, and the airplane disappeared into the clouds again. The airplane then exited the base of the clouds in a right descending turn and struck the ground. Weather conditions immediately before and after the accident at Bridgeport were reported in part as 400 foot overcast, rain and visibility of 2 to 3 miles. Radar data revealed erratic altitudes on the glideslope and during vectors. The accident airport did not have an approach lighting system to the precision approach runway. In January 1995, the Safety Board issued a recommendation to install an approach lighting system to that runway 'as soon as possible.'

History of flight

On April 19, 1998, at 2223 Eastern Daylight Time, a Mooney M20J, N40HL, was destroyed when it struck the ground during an instrument approach to the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR), Bridgeport, Connecticut. The instrument rated private pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. An instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for a flight between Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PFH), Virginia, and Republic Airport (FRG), Farmingdale, New York. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot's wife, he flew the accident airplane to Boca Raton Airport (BCT), Boca Raton, Florida about 10 days earlier for a vacation. She joined him in Florida, but flew commercially because of the length of the trip. The night before the accident, the pilot went to bed about 2200, and had no trouble sleeping. The following morning, he got up about 0800. His wife went to the airport to fly home commercially, but he did not accompany her. The pilot told her that he was going to have lunch, take a shower, and then depart for home. She stated that he did not have any meetings or work scheduled for the next day.

According to a police report, the pilot left a phone message at his home on the day of the accident, between 1900-1915, in which he stated that he had left Florida at 1500, and landed in Virginia to refuel and eat. He also reported "that the weather was bad and there were high winds." In the voice transcript from the Newport News/Williamsburg Control Tower, the pilot was cleared for takeoff at 2016.

According to New York Approach Control voice tapes, the pilot acknowledged the prevailing weather information en route to Republic Airport, and was vectored to the final approach course for the ILS RWY 14 approach. The winds were reported from 110 degrees at 12 to 16 knots on the ground, but the pilot reported "winds are real strong" in flight. The pilot was cleared for the approach, and at 2151:36, he stated to the controller that he was on the localizer. Shortly thereafter, the controller terminated radar service, and told the pilot to contact the tower. At 2151:59, the approach controller commented to the Republic Tower controller on a phone line: "You guys aren't reflecting it, but everyone else has strong gusts."

At 2152:09, the pilot contacted Republic Tower, and at 2156:04, reported the outer marker inbound. He was cleared to land, and asked that the tower turn up the intensity of the runway lights. The tower controller responded: "Lights are up full." At 2158:34, the pilot reported a missed approach. The tower controller then directed the pilot to "fly runway heading, maintain two thousand," and the pilot did not respond.

A corporate radar facility recorded radar data which included the airplane's flight path. A video tape of the data revealed that the airplane's last confirmed altitude on the approach was 600 feet, approximately 2 1/2 miles from the airport. A computer-generated track placed the airplane at 100 feet, 1 7/8 miles from the airport, after which, radar contact was lost. The airplane reappeared on radar at 300 feet, 1 1/2 miles north of the airport.

The Republic Tower controller reported to the approach controller that the airplane was executing a missed approach, and was assigned to fly runway heading (140 degrees magnetic) with a climb to 2,000 feet. When the approach controller reestablished radar contact with the airplane, he said it was "actually northbound". The tower controller asked the pilot what his altitude was, and he responded: "Altitude is 500, and I'm descending." The approach controller then stated to the tower controller, "I'm getting a low altitude alert. He's north of the field, 3 miles, indicates 600 feet, tell him to climb." The tower controller told the pilot to "...climb now, sir, maintain two thousand feet, any heading," and the pilot responded: "Zero hotel lima, roger." Afterwards, the approach controller stated: "He's lost...send him over to me now if he's comfortable to make the frequency change...."

The approach controller and the pilot then reviewed the weather for several airports. These included: Islip/Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), which had winds from 120 degrees at 12 knots, visibility of 1 mile, and a ceiling 300 feet; Bridgeport Airport, which was reporting a visibility of 3 miles with light rain, and a ceiling of 400 feet overcast; The Francis S. Gabreski Airport (FOK), Westhampton Beach, New York, which was reporting a visibility of 1/2 mile with light drizzle and fog, and a ceiling of 400 feet overcast; Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD), Hartford, Connecticut, which was reporting a visibility of 10 miles, and a ceiling of 1,800 feet overcast; Bradley International Airport (BDL), Windsor Locks, Connecticut, which was reporting a visibility of 9 miles with light rain, and a ceiling of 2,800 feet overcast; and Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR), Danbury, Connecticut, which was reporting a visibility of 3 miles, and a ceiling of 1,000 feet overcast.

The pilot decided to "try the ILS six" to Islip. Shortly thereafter, he was advised that the visibility at Islip "just went down to a half mile," and the pilot responded: "Forget it. Let's go to Bridgeport."

The approach controller asked if the pilot was "in distress or anything." He responded: "Flying at present altitude...however...I think my plane might have touched something on the way in. I'm not sure."

When asked about control problems, the pilot stated: "No control problems. However, I'm looking out at my leading edge and it appears that there might be something that it hit. I'm not sure. The stall warning horn is on and the plane isn't handling as it should. But then again, the weather conditions aren't the best either."

The controller twice asked the pilot how much fuel was onboard, and received a reply of 1 1/2 hours both times. The controller coordinated the handoff of the airplane to another approach sector. During this coordination, it was noted that Bridgeport Tower was not open, but that the tower controller would remain there to assist. Additionally, the releasing controller had declared N40HL to be "an emergency."

Another airplane was also being vectored for the ILS RWY 6 approach at Bridgeport. When that pilot was asked, he responded that he was not encountering any icing.

The pilot stated to the controller that he did not have approach plates for the ILS RWY 6 approach. Amidst other calls, the approach controller gave the pilot the approach information, including the frequency, the fact that it would give him DME as well, the localizer course, distance to and the name of the final approach fix, crossing altitude of the final approach fix, the decision height, the weather minimums, and the length of the runway.

The pilot was instructed by the controller to cross the final approach fix at 1,800 feet. At 2214:02, the pilot was given a heading of 040 degrees to intercept the localizer, and advised that the "heading inbound on the localizer is zero six zero." The pilot acknowledged: "Zero four zero."

When the pilot asked how far out he was, the controller responded at 2215:43, that he was 4 miles from the final approach fix, and that he was about to join the localizer. The controller again warned of the right crosswind, told the pilot to maintain 1,800 feet until established on the localizer, and cleared him for the ILS RWY 6 approach. At 2215:59, the pilot responded: "Zero six zero on the heading for the, uh, localizer."

At 2216:03, the controller gave the pilot information about the runway, and at 2217:13, the controller told the pilot he was about 1 1/2 miles from the final approach fix and, "in the event of missed approach, you climb to one thousand, eight hundred, basically straight out on the Bridgeport