On September 19, 1990, a Piper PA-23-150 (registration N3100P) operated by Pressberger, Mark J. was involved in an aviation accident near Livingston, NY. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHILE MANEUVERING FOR AN ILS APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT INSTRUMENT FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, LOW CLOUD CEILINGS AND FOG, AND FAILURE TO FOLLOW IFR PROCEDURES. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot who departed VFR and later received an IFR clearance was cleared for an ILS approach but failed to establish on the approach. Radar contact was lost about 12 miles northwest of the airport, and the wreckage was found in a pond.
Flight Details
No record of a pre-departure weather briefing was found for the pilot. The pilot departed under visual flight rules (VFR) but was subsequently issued an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance en route to land at the destination airport.
Approach and Loss of Radar Contact
The air traffic controller cleared the pilot to execute the instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 15 and provided vectors to the outer marker. However, the pilot did not become established on the approach approach. Radar contact was lost approximately 12 statute miles northwest of the airport.
Wreckage Discovery
The wreckage was found in a pond. The location of the pond was consistent with the last known radar position.
Pilot Information
The pilot had recently purchased the airplane. In the previous 24 months, the pilot had accumulated only 2.5 hours of instrument flight time.