Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Purdue University Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
West Lafayette, Indiana 47906
Wednesday, March 15, 1989 7:26 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AN IFR FLIGHT WAS TERMINATED WITH A VISUAL APPROACH. CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE TO AIRFRAME ICING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING POSITIONED EMPTY, WITH A CG AT 22.1% MAC. ON SHORT FINAL, AT APPROXIMATELY 400 FT AGL, 35 DEGREES OF LANDING FLAP WAS SELECTED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO PITCH DOWNWARD TO AN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE AND TO ENTER A STEEP DESCENT. A PARTIAL RECOVERY WAS OBSERVED BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A DIRT HILL 500 FT SHORT OF RWY 28. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED 1/2 TO 3/4 INCH OF RIME ICE ADHERING TO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. NO ICE WAS FOUND ON ANY OTHER PORTION OF THE AIRFRAME. EVIDENCE IN THE COCKPIT INDICATED THAT ENGINE, PITOT, AND WINDSHIELD ANTI-ICE SYSTEMS WERE ON, BUT WING/EMPENNAGE DEICE WAS OFF. NO EVIDENCE OF A POWERPLANT OR SYSTEMS MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
A LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO THE IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISIONS BY THE CREW AND THE UNDETECTED ACCUMULATION OF ICE ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, DURING FLIGHT IN A FORWARD CENTER OF GRAVITY CONDITION AND EXACERBATED BY THE EXTENSION OF FULL LANDING FLAPS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/15/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 726 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | WEST LAFAYETTE |
| Event State | INDIANA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 47906 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | PURDUE UNIVERSITY AIRPORT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | LAF |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 606 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 728 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 270 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | LAF |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 606 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Dawn |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2200 |
| 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) | 8 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 0 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -4 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 280 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 16 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 23 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 599 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 15 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 715 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 40030 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:31PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N128MP |
| NTSB Number | CHI89MA057 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 121: Air Carrier |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | NIHON |
| Aircraft Model | YS-11A-600 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | YS-11A-600 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2139 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 55110 |
| 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 | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 25 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 29 |
| Airframe Hours | 24088 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | KOA HOLDINGS, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 100 PARK AVENUE SUITE 2800 |
| Aircraft Owner City | NEW YORK CITY |
| Aircraft Owner State | NY |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 10017 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | MID PACIFIC AIRLINES |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | HANGER #4 PURDUE UNIV. |
| Operator City | WEST LAFAYETTE |
| Operator State | IN |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 47906 |
| Operator Code | MCPA |
| 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 | Cargo |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | HUF |
| Departure City | TERRE HAUTE |
| Departure State | IN |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 700 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | LAF |
| Destination City | WEST LAFAYETTE |
| Destination State | IN |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 28 |
| Runway Length | 6600 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |