Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Mac Arthur Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Brookhaven, New York 11719
Friday, August 16, 1991 15:21 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
WHILE ON A HEADING OF APPROX 270, THE PILOT WAS INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW ANOTHER AIRPLANE INTO THE AIRPORT. HE DID NOT TURN IN ON FINAL AND CONTINUED FOR ALMOST 3 MILES. WHEN THE ATCT TOLD HIM TO TURN TO 180 FOR RESEQUENCING, HE TURNED TO 330, TOWARD THE AIRPORT AND STARTED A DESCENT FROM 2000 FEET. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO 1600 FEET, AND THEN STARTED A CLIMB BACK TO 2000 FEET, WITH A SHALLOW LEFT TURN, CONTACTED APPROACH CONTROL AND CONTINUED THE TURN TO 150. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT SPEED STARTED TO DECREASE WHEN THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED. THERE WAS A CONTINUED DECREASE OF SPEED TO 44 KNOTS, AT WHICH POINT, THE AIRPLANE STARTED A DESCENT, FOLLOWED BY A LEFT SPIN, AND IMPACTED WATER. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED NO RAPID COURSE CHANGES PRIOR TO THE LOW POINT OF SPEED. THE AIR/GROUND TAPES SHOWED THE PILOT SOMETIMES TOOK ALMOST A MINUTE BETWEEN FREQUENCY CHANGES, AND HIS VOICE WAS INDECISIVE AND HESITANT. THE PILOT HAD BEEN TREATED FOR SEIZURES SINCE 1974. ANTI-SEIZURE MEDICATION WAS FOUND IN HIS TOXICOLOGICAL SAMPLES.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
PILOT PHYSIOLOGICAL INCAPACITATION WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL IN FLIGHT, AND AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO WATER.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/16/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1521 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | BROOKHAVEN |
| Event State | NEW YORK |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 11719 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | MAC ARTHUR |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | ISP |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 6 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 195 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1450 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 195 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ISP |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 99 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 6 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 31 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 17 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 310 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 10 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| 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 | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1958 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 46008 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 10:39AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N104SB |
| NTSB Number | NYC91FA212 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BEECH |
| Aircraft Model | 58 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 58 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | TH-1071 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 5400 |
| 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 | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 4 1990 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 67 |
| Airframe Hours | 1394 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | C & L DIRECT CORPORATION |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 709 WOODSIDE AVENUE |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILMINGTON |
| Aircraft Owner State | DE |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19809 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | JOHN G. LAUCHNER |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 125 WOODBURY AVE |
| Operator City | HICKSVILE |
| Operator State | NY |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 11802 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | GON |
| Departure City | GROTON |
| Departure State | CT |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1500 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | ISP |
| Destination City | ISLIP |
| Destination State | NY |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |