Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Raleigh East Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Knightdale, North Carolina 27545
Tuesady, October 24, 1989 1:00 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
FLT EXPERIENCED ALTERNATOR FAILURE. PLT ELECTED TO CONT FLT TO DESTINATION. ABOUT 20 MINUTES FROM DESTINATION, FLT LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER. WHILE MAKING NIGHT VISUAL APPROACH WITH PASSENGER HOLDING FLASHLIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL, PLT ALLOWED AIRPLANE TO DESCEND TOO LOW RESULTING IN COLLISION WITH TREE TOPS. PLT THEN ATTEMPTED GO- AROUND EVEN THOUGH PILOT RATED PASSENGER STATED RUNWAY WAS MADE AFTER COLLISION. WHEN ACFT WOULD NOT CLIMB DURING GO-AROUND, IT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND CAME TO REST. ALTERNATOR FAILURE WAS RESULT OF BRUSH SLIP RING BEING DAMAGED AT OVERHAUL RESULTING IN PREMATURE WEARING OF BRUSHES. ALTERNATOR HAD 57 HOURS SINCE OVERHAUL.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER GLIDE PATH TO THE RUNWAY RESULTING IN THE AIRPLANE COLLIDING WITH TREES WHILE MAKING AN APPROACH TO LANDING WITH NO ELECTRICAL POWER.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 10/24/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 100 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | KNIGHTDALE |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 27545 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 10 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | RALEIGH EAST |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | W17 |
| 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 | 300 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 51 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 285 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | RDU |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 437 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 20 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Thin Broken |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 8 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 5 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 110 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| 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 | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2071 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Oct 24 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 805 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 41472 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 1:07PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N737QG |
| NTSB Number | ATL90LA012 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 172N |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 172N |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 17269587 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2300 |
| 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 | Sep 14 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 38 |
| Airframe Hours | 2875 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | TOPSAIL AIR, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 11132 CRESTMONT DRIVE |
| Aircraft Owner City | RALEIGH |
| Aircraft Owner State | NC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 27613 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | ROBERT SCOTT KELLUM |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 2121-2 STONEHENGE DR. |
| Operator City | RALEIGH |
| Operator State | NC |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 27615 |
| 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 | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | MIV |
| Departure City | MILLVILLE |
| Departure State | NJ |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2215 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| 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 | 1 |
| Runway Length | 3000 |
| Runway Width | 36 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |