Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Billy Mitchel Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Ocracoke, North Carolina 2760
Friday, August 11, 1995 16:10 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
While in cruise flight over marshy terrain, the center portion of the aircraft's windshield imploded, forcing open the cabin door. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and could not glide to dry land, therefore he elected to force land in the salt marsh. During the Landing roll, the aircraft nosed over. According to the passengers, when they boarded the airplane they noted that the windscreen was cracked. However, the crack was adjacent to a door post, not the center of the windscreen. Initially, the pilot believed that the airplane had been struck by a bird. Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a bird strike. A similar windscreen implosion occurrence, involving the same make and model airplane, was located in the FAA's Service Difficulty Reports. The report stated that during level flight the upper half of the windshield broke away, first inward, then the pilot pushed it outward. Aircraft control was affected, and a forced landing was accomplished, without causing substantial damage.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
A SHATTERED WINDSHIELD WHICH PRECLUDED MAINTAINING LEVEL FLIGHT DUE TO INCREASED AERODYNAMIC DRAG.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/11/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1610 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | OCRACOKE |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 2760 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | BILLY MITCHEL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 8W5 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 8 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 210 |
| Airport Elevation | 10 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1600 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 10 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MQI |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 14 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 40 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2900 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 7 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 27 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 21 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 40 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 15 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 21 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 3 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1434 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 11 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1755 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:29PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4066X |
| NTSB Number | ATL95LA152 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | AERO COMMANDER |
| Aircraft Model | 100-180 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 100-180 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 5166 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2500 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 5 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 89 |
| Airframe Hours | 2189 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | PHILEMON K. / NORMA C. PLATT |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | ROUTE 12 AMMUNITION ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | OCRACOKE |
| Aircraft Owner State | NC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 27960 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | PELICAN AIRWAYS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | ROUTE 12 AMMUNITION ROAD |
| Operator City | OCRACOKE |
| Operator State | NC |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 27960 |
| 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 | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | PGV |
| Departure City | GREENVILLE |
| Departure State | NC |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1500 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | 8W5 |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| 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 | 3000 |
| Runway Width | 60 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |