Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Albany Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201
Saturday, March 25, 1989 22:15 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DRG VFR FLT AT NGT, PLT TRIED CTCG ALBANY APCH CTL (ALB), 40 MI FM DESTN. CTLR ANSWERED CALL & RPRTD HE WAS NOT RCVG TRANSPONDER (XPDR), BUT PLT DID NOT HEAR HIM AS HIS ACFT WAS TOO FAR AWAY. PLT WAS ADZD, VIA AN AIRLINER, TO CALL AGAIN AFTER PROCEEDING FURTHER INBND. ABT 13 MIN LATER, PLT ESTABLISHED CTC WITH ALB, APRX 27 MI SE IN VCNTY OF PITTSFIELD AT 2500' MSL. HE ASKED, 'MY ALT OF 2500, IS THAT OK?' CTLR THOUGHT PLT WAS REFERRING TO QUALITY OF XPDR READ-OUT OF 2500' & REPLIED 'AFFIRMATIVE.' CTLR THEN ASKED IF PLT WAS VFR; PLT SAID HE WAS. SOON THEREAFTER, CTC WITH ACFT WAS LOST. IT DSCNDED INTO RISING TRRN AT ELEV OF ABT 1800'. NO PREIMPACT MECH PRBLM WAS FND. DRG PREFLT WX BRIEFING, FSS PSNL DID NOTADZ PLT OF FLT PRCTN OF OBSCD MTNS. MVA IN AREA WAS 4000' MSL. ANOTHER PLT OPERG FM PITTSFIELD RPRTD BASES OF OVC WERE RAGGED AT 2500' TO 3000' MSL & HIGHER TRRN WAS OBSCD BY CLOUDS. RCC NOT NOTIFIED; SEARCH DELAYED; CTLR'S SUPVR NOTIFIED ARTCC PER PROC FOR IFR ACFT. ARTCC DID NOT NOTIFY RCC, SINCE ACFT WAS VFR; HOWEVER, CRASH WAS NOT SURVIVABLE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INADEQUATE BRIEFING PROVIDED BY THE FLIGHT SERVICE STATION (FSS) SPECIALIST, DARK NIGHT, LOW CLOUDS, AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/25/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 2215 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | PITTSFIELD |
| Event State | MASSACHUSETTS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 01201 |
| 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 | ALBANY |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | ALB |
| 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 | 285 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1048 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 330 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ALB |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 27 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| 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) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 8 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 4 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 290 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 9 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 310 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 25 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2300 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 38852 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:08AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N20NQ |
| NTSB Number | NYC89FA105 |
| 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 | AEROSPATIALE |
| Aircraft Model | TB-10 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | TB-10 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 695 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2535 |
| 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 | Mar 23 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 5 |
| Airframe Hours | 105 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3RD FL CIVIL AIR TERMINAL |
| Aircraft Owner City | BEDFORD |
| Aircraft Owner State | MA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 01736 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| 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 | |
| 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 | CEF |
| Departure City | WESTOVER AFB |
| Departure State | MA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2141 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | ALB |
| Destination City | ALBANY |
| Destination State | NY |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:08AM |
| 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 | -- |