Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Nantucket Memorial Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554
Thursday, December 1, 2005 16:44 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The instrument rated pilot obtained a weather briefing from a flight service station (FSS), filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, and proceeded in a Beech B-55 on a return flight to his home airport. The flight was in radio and radar contact with air traffic control (ATC). As the airplane intercepted the localizer course for the instrument landing system (ILS) approach, the Approach controller vectored the airplane off the localizer for spacing. The controller then vectored the airplane back onto the localizer, and cleared the flight for the ILS approach. At that time, the airplane was approximately 2 miles prior to the final approach fix (FAF), at 300 feet above the crossing altitude, and a groundspeed of 140 knots. The controller advised the pilot to contact the local air traffic control tower (ATCT), but did not provide a frequency. The controller was not required to provide the frequency, and recalled that the airplane was based at the destination airport. The airplane crossed the FAF at 300 feet above the crossing altitude, at a groundspeed of 110 knots. The airplane tracked the localizer course above the glideslope, and then flew below the glideslope during the approach. The Automated Radar Terminal System (ARTS) generated the first of two Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) alerts. At the time, the airplane was 600 to 700 feet agl; and a second MSAW alert was generated when the airplane was approximately 200 feet agl. The Approach and ATCT controllers were required to provide those warnings to the accident pilot; however, they did not. At 200 feet, the pilot asked the Approach controller for the local ATCT frequency. The Approach controller advised the pilot of the frequency, but radar contact and radio communication were lost when the airplane impacted the Atlantic Ocean approximately 1 mile from the airport. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, with an overcast ceiling of 400 feet, and visibility 2 1/2 miles in light rain and mist.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper glidepath during the instrument approach, which resulted in controlled flight into water. Factors were the failure of the air traffic controllers to issue minimum safe altitude warnings, night lighting conditions, and a low ceiling.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/1/2005 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1644 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | Nantucket |
| Event State | MASSACHUSETTS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 02554 |
| Event Date Year | 2005 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 411511N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0700337W |
| Event Location Airport | Nantucket Memorial |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | ACK |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 48 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1653 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 60 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ACK |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 48 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 400 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2.5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 5 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 20 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 17 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.65 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 20587 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA-NEROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 1 2005 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 31 2006 8:45AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Logan, MA |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N64PW |
| NTSB Number | NYC06FA040 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | Y |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Beech |
| Aircraft Model | B-55 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | TC2054 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 5100 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 1 2005 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 2592 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Herradura Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | New York |
| Aircraft Owner State | NY |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 10022 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | George F. Baker III |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | New York |
| Operator State | NY |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 10022 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | TEB |
| Departure City | Teterboro |
| Departure State | NJ |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1530 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | ACK |
| Destination City | Nantucket |
| Destination State | MA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach - final approach fix (FAF)/outer marker to threshold (IFR) |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 22 2006 1:18PM |
| User who most recently changed record | MUZD |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 6 |
| Runway Length | 6303 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |