Casualties unknown

1982-01-13: Grumman AA5B (N28607) — John W. Giffen — Monticello, FL

Monticello, FL, US

On January 13, 1982, a Grumman AA5B (registration N28607) operated by John W. Giffen was involved in an aviation accident near Monticello, FL. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 1781061362Data APIEditorial standards

After being denied SFVR clearance, a pilot canceled his flight plan and diverted. He misidentified a VOR station due to frequency confusion, leading to fuel exhaustion and a crash in a swamp.

Background

A pilot, flying a private aircraft, was denied a Special VFR clearance to land at Tampa-St. Petersburg. Subsequently, he elected to cancel his flight plan to Tallahassee and instead fly to New Orleans.

Sequence of Events

Approximately 5.5 hours into the flight, the pilot decided to divert to Gulfport, Mississippi. He tuned in the Gulfport VOR on frequency 109.0 MHz. At that time, he had been flying a heading of 283 degrees at 190 DME. The OBS now read 005 degrees and 75 miles DME. After crossing the coastline, the pilot could not locate the airport and continued flying until fuel exhaustion.

The aircraft crashed in a swamp. The Greenville VOR is also on frequency 109.0 MHz and is located 226 miles east of the Gulfport VOR. The wreckage was found approximately 10 miles from the Greenville VOR station.

Aftermath

The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot's actions led to a navigation error due to the identical frequency of the two VOR stations, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent crash.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20020917X02342. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.