On December 1, 1989, a Piper AEROSTAR 601P (registration N6079H) operated by Johnston, Douglas W. was involved in an aviation accident near Orlando, FL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain contact with air traffic control following takeoff, which contributed to the loss of situational awareness and subsequent collision with terrain. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft departed under IFR but failed to contact departure control, resulting in a crash near the runway end with no mechanical failure found.
What happened
The pilot was cleared for takeoff on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight. Following the departure phase, the pilot did not establish communication with departure control. A search operation was subsequently initiated to locate the missing aircraft. The aircraft was eventually discovered in close proximity to the departure end of Runway 7.
Upon recovery, investigators observed evidence indicating that the aircraft had impacted the ground in a left wing down attitude with the nose low. No pre-impact part failure or malfunction of the aircraft was found.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain contact with air traffic control following takeoff, which contributed to the loss of situational awareness and subsequent collision with terrain.