Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Shenandoah Valley Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Grottoes, Virginia 24441
Monday, September 23, 1985 10:20 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
ACFT ARR FM THE NE, CROSSED OVR THE ARPT IN IMC CONDS & CONTD TWD THE SW TO THE INITIAL APCH FIX (IAF) FOR AN ILS RWY 4 APCH. THE IAF WAS OVR THE OUTER MARKER (OM), 4.2 MI SW OF THE ARPT. AS THE ACFT DEPTD THE IAF, IT CONTD OUTBND TWD THE SW ON AN IMPRECISE TRACK FOR APRX 1 MIN, MADE A PROCEDURE TURN (PT) BY TURNING RGT (WEST), THEN BACK LEFT (EAST) TWD THE LOCALIZER (LOC). INBND HDG FOR THE LOC WAS 045 DEG. RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST DRG THE PT. AS THE PT WAS COMPLETED, THE ACFT ANGLED TO THE EAST OF THE LOC & INTERCEPTED THE 045 DEG RADIAL OF THE MONTEBELLO (MOL) VOR. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT A MTN TOP WHILE IN LVL FLT AT 2400' ALONG THE MOL 045 RADIAL. CLD BASES WERE AT APRX 2000'. NO PREIMPACT PART PRBLM WAS FND. ACFT RDO INSTLN WAS NONSTANDARD, NOT FAA APPROVED; 1 ADF & 2 NAV DISPLAYS WERE IN UNSUIT LOCATION FOR COPLT. RDO TRANSCRIPT INDCD PLTS WERE UNCERTAIN OF GEOGRAPHIC PSN BFR IMPACT. COMPANY PLT EXP REDUCED BY RECENT PLT TURNOVER. BOTH PLTS HAD LMTD EXP IN RESPECTIVE PSNS. HI NOISE LVL IN COCKPIT MADE CONVERSATION DIFFICULT. LACK OF FAA SURVEILLANCE
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/23/1985 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1020 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | GROTTOES |
| Event State | VIRGINIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 24441 |
| Event Date Year | 1985 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | SHENANDOAH VALLEY |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SHD |
| 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 | 120 |
| Airport Elevation | 1201 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 945 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 300 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SHD |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1201 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 17 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| 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 | 14 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 14 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2418 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 23 1985 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1130 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 28585 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N339HA |
| NTSB Number | DCA85AA037 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BEECH |
| Aircraft Model | B99 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | B99 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | U-156 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 10900 |
| 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 | 17 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 0 |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | HENSON AIRLINES |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | SALISBURY/WICOMICO REG AIRPORT |
| Aircraft Owner City | SALISBURY |
| Aircraft Owner State | MD |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 21801 |
| 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 | HA |
| 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 | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | BWI |
| Departure City | BALTIMORE |
| Departure State | MD |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| 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 | Feb 26 2001 8:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 4 |
| Runway Length | 6002 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |