Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Suffolk County (Gabreski) Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Westhampton, New York 11978
Thursday, March 3, 1994 19:16 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL HAD CLEARED THE AIRPLANE FOR THE ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24, CIRCLE TO LAND ON RUNWAY 06. THE AIRPLANE BROKE OFF THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24, AND WAS OBSERVED BY A WITNESS AT A LOW ALTITUDE, ON A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 06, FLYING IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS. ON THE BASE LEG, THE AIRPLANE TURNED TO THE LEFT, AND A WITNESS SAW THE LEFT WING MAKE CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. ONE WITNESS SAID THAT BEFORE THE CRASH, THE ENGINE SOUNDED 'LIKE THEY WERE AT FULL RPM. SEVERAL PILOTS FROM THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD (ANG) AT THE AIRPORT WENT TO THE CRASH SITE MINUTES AFTER THE CRASH, AND OBSERVED ICE ON THE AIRPLANE'S WINGS AND EMPENNAGE. ONE OF THE ANG PILOT REPORTED HIS OBSERVATION OF THE ICE ON THE AIRCRAFT: 'IT APPEARED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 1/8 INCH IN THICKNESS THROUGHOUT THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING SURFACES AND THE REAR EMPENNAGE SECTIONS . . .' ANOTHER ANG PILOT DESCRIBED THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AS, VISIBILITY LESS THEN ONE MILE WITH 'FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET.' THE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's inadequate inflight decision which resulted in ice accretion on the aircraft, degradation of aircraft performance, an aerodynamic stall, loss of control and inflight collision with the ground. Factors were icing conditions.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/3/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1916 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | WESTHAMPTON |
| Event State | NEW YORK |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 11978 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | SUFFOLK COUNTY (GABRESKI) |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | FOK |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 67 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1919 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | FOK |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 67 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 1.5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 1 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 10 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 10 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 20 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 371 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 3 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2000 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 10:51AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N512SK |
| NTSB Number | NYC94FA052 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 340 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 340 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 340-0111 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6305 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 11 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 64 |
| Airframe Hours | 6857 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CAPITAL ASSOCIATES CORP. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 515 S. LINDBERGH BLVD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | ST LOUIS |
| Aircraft Owner State | MO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 63131 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | JAMES FLYING SERVICE INC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 525 AIRPORT RD. |
| Operator City | HOT SPRINGS |
| Operator State | AR |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 71913 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | TTN |
| Departure City | TRENTON |
| Departure State | NJ |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1818 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 6 |
| Runway Length | 9000 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |