Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Adirondack Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gabriels, New York 12939
Friday, January 3, 1992 5:46 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
ON IFR ARRIVAL, FLT 4821 WAS CLEARED TO INTERSECTION 17 NE OF AIRPORT AT 6000', THEN FOR ILS RUNWAY 23 APPROACH. RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED 6.5 EAST OF INTERSECTION. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT FLIGHT CROSSED & THEN BRACKETED LOCALIZER. FLIGHT INTERCEPTED GLIDE SLOPE FROM BELOW ABOUT 7 MI OUTSIDE OF OUTER MARKER & THENCE DEVIATED ABOVE GLIDE SLOPE. ABOUT 2 MILES OUTSIDE OF MARKER, FLIGHT WAS AT A FULL FLY DOWN DEFLECTION WHEN IT ENTERED A DESCENT VARYING FROM 1200 TO 2000 FPM. AIRCRAFT STRUCK WOODED MOUNTAIN TOP 2.0 MI INSIDE OF OUTER MARKER (3.9 MI FROM RWY) AT ELEVATION OF 2280'. MINIMUM ALTITUDE AT MARKER WAS 3600'. GLIDE SLOPE ELEVATION AT POINT OF IMPACT WAS APRX 2900'. EVIDENCE WAS FOUND OF INADEQUATE ELECTRICAL GROUND PATH BETWEEN RADOME & FUSELAGE WHICH, WHEN COMBINED WITH EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS, MAY HAVE PRODUCED ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE (PRECIPITATION STATIC). ALTHOUGH POST-ACCIDENT TESTS WERE NOT CONCLUSIVE, THE SAFETY BOARD BELIEVES THAT THE GLIDE SLOPE INDICATIONS MIGHT HAVE BEEN UNRELIABLE DUE TO PRECIPITATION STATIC INTERFERENCE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FAILURE OF THE CAPTAIN TO ESTABLISH A STABILIZED APPROACH, HIS INADEQUATE CROSS-CHECK OF INSTRUMENTS, HIS DESCENT BELOW SPECIFIED MINIMUM ALTITUDE AT THE FINAL APPROACH FIX, AND FAILURE OF THE COPILOT TO MONITOR THE APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: WEATHER CONDITIONS AND POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION STATIC INTERFERENCE, CAUSED BY INADEQUATE GROUNDING BETWEEN THE RADOME AND FUSELAGE THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN UNRELIABLE GLIDE SLOPE INDICATIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/3/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 546 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | GABRIELS |
| Event State | NEW YORK |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 12939 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | ADIRONDACK |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SLK |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 4 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 50 |
| Airport Elevation | 1663 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 505 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 230 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SLK |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1663 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 5 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -2 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -4 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1046 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 3 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 700 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 47655 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:06AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N55000 |
| NTSB Number | DCA92MA016 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BEECH |
| Aircraft Model | 1900C |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 1900C |
| Aircraft Serial Number | UC-135 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 16000 |
| 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 | 21 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 29 1991 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 29 |
| Airframe Hours | 1675 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CHAMPLAIN ENTERPRISES |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 198 AIRPORT ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | PLATTSBURGH |
| Aircraft Owner State | NY |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 12901 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | COMMUTAIR |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | US |
| 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 | 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 | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | PLB |
| Departure City | PLATTSBURGH |
| Departure State | NY |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 533 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | SLK |
| Destination City | SARANAC LAKE |
| Destination State | NY |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:06AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 23 |
| Runway Length | 6573 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |