What happened
On the night of the accident, the pilot of N1122Y, a single-engine aircraft, contacted Norfolk Approach to indicate readiness for takeoff from runway 01 at Elizabeth City. Following instructions to climb to 3,000 feet and maintain a runway heading, the flight was placed on radar contact. The pilot subsequently transitioned to the FAA Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, where they requested an NDB approach for runway 5 at Manteo's Dare County Airport.
During the approach, air traffic controllers directed the pilot to fly a specific heading toward the non-directional beacon and instructed the aircraft to maintain 2,000 feet until crossing the beacon outbound. At 0046, controllers notified the pilot that radar contact had been lost. Although the pilot briefly responded at 0057:21 to report a procedure turn inbound, no further communications occurred. After the pilot failed to report landing and radio contact ceased, search and rescue operations were launched.
The wreckage was discovered in Croatan Sound, approximately 1.5 miles west of Dare County Regional Airport. While the aircraft was located, the pilot remained missing until their body was recovered from the water on February 11, 2003. The accident resulted in one fatality.
Findings
An examination of the single-engine aircraft and its engine and flight controls revealed no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction prior to the impact. Investigators noted that the propeller had separated from the engine, with damage to the mounting bolts suggesting this occurred upon contact with the water. A postmortem examination of the pilot found no medical conditions that contributed to the crash. The investigation concluded that the pilot descended below the minimum descent altitude during the NDB approach, a maneuver exacerbated by low visibility and a cloud ceiling that was below the required minimums.