1989-03-23: Piper AEROSTAR 600 — Top Flight Air Service — Jacksonville, FL

Casualties unknown • Jacksonville, FL, US

Probable cause

IMPROPER USE OF THE IFR PROCEDURE BY THE PILOT, HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER GLIDE PATH, AND HIS FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE DECISION HEIGHT.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

DRG ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 7 APCH. ALSO, HE WAS ADZD OF A DC-9 THAT WAS 4 MI AHEAD & WAS TOLD TO USE CAUTION FOR WAKE TURBULENCE. AS THE ACFT WAS ON FINAL APCH, IT DESCENDED BELOW THE ILS GLIDE SLOPE & SUBSEQUENTLY HIT TREES & CRASHED ABOUT 1.8 MI SHORT OF THE RWY. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENGS WAS FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACDNT. ALSO, THERE WERE NO REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THE ILS SYSTEM & IT TESTED NORMAL AFTER THE ACDNT. THE PLT HELD A COMMERCIAL PLT CERTIFICATE WHICH WAS GOOD FOR SINGLE ENGINE LAND ACFT; HIS MULTI-ENGINE PRIVILEGES WERE AUTHORIZED AS A PRIVATE PLT, ONLY. AN NTSB PERFORMANCE STUDY SHOWED THE ACFT WAS 2 MIN & 57 SEC BEHIND THE DC-9. RADAR DATA INDCD THE ACFT DID NOT EXCEED A BANK ANGLE OF 32 DEG & NO EXCESSIVE G-VALUES WERE EVIDENT DRG THE APCH.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1989-03-23 Piper AEROSTAR 600 accident near Jacksonville, FL?

DRG ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 7 APCH. ALSO, HE WAS ADZD OF A DC-9 THAT WAS 4 MI AHEAD & WAS TOLD TO USE CAUTION FOR WAKE TURBULENCE. AS THE ACFT WAS ON FINAL APCH, IT DESCENDED BELOW THE ILS GLIDE SLOPE & SUBSEQUENTLY HIT TREES & CRASHED ABOUT 1.8 MI SHORT OF THE RWY. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR…

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 1989-03-23 involved a Piper AEROSTAR 600, registration N77BR, operated by Top Flight Air Service, at Jacksonville, FL.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

IMPROPER USE OF THE IFR PROCEDURE BY THE PILOT, HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER GLIDE PATH, AND HIS FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE DECISION HEIGHT.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001213X27939. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.

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