Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

West Point, New York 10996
Monday, August 28, 1989 22:53 EDT

THE PLT WAS REPOSITIONING THE ACFT AT NGT TO HIS HOME ARPT AT KINGSTON. HE RCVD VFR ADVISORIES FM NEW YORK TRACON FOR ROUTING TO TETERBORO & TO CONT NORTH BELOW THE TCA, ALONG THE HUDSON RIVER TO KINGSTON. THE ATC CTLR ISSUED A CLNC AS REQUESTED, PROVIDED WX INFO & TOLD THE PLT TO MAINT 2500'. MINUTES LATER, THE PLT REQUESTED A LOWER ALT & WAS APPROVED FOR FLT THRU THE TETERBORO ARPT TFC AREA. HE RPRTD 'THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE IN SIGHT' & SAID HE NO LONGER NEEDED RADAR SVC. AT 2222 EDT, RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED 2 MI EAST OF TETERBORO & THERE WAS NO FURTHER RADIO CTC WITH THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT HIT TREES & CRASHED NEAR A HILLTOP, WHILE HDG SW OVER AN ARTILLERY RANGE ON THE WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT AFTER RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED, THE ACFT CONTD NORTH BTN 1800' & 1200' MSL UNTIL RADAR CTC WAS LOST APRX 3 MI SOUTH OF THE ARTILLERY RANGE. A WITNESS (2 MI SOUTH OF THE CRASH SITE) SAW AN ACFT CIRCLING AT LOW ALT BEFORE CONTINUING NORTH. SHE SAID CONDS WERE RAINY, CLOUDY & VERY DARK. NO PREIMPACT MECH PROBLEMS WERE FOUND.

CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO AN AREA OF MARGINAL VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE OVER MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT, HIGH TERRAIN, LOW CLOUDS/CEILING, RAIN, AND TREES.