it's the morning of January 30th 2009
the Seneca owner pilot has invited
several friends on a flight from the
Chicago area to Raleigh Durham North
Carolina and Clearwater Florida the
flight is ready to depart
when another pilot notices five
passengers on board the six seat Seneca
and expresses concern that the airplane
will be overweight he speaks to the
Seneca pilot about this and also urges
him to obtain a weather briefing and
file a flight plan but the 2200 hour non
instrument-rated pilot shrugs off the
concerns he assures his friend that he
is checked the weight and balance and it
is ok he promises to get a weather
briefing and file a flight plan from the
air and so the Seneca - takes off VFR
for the 558 nautical mile trip to
Raleigh
you
the National Transportation Safety Board
reviewed the Senecas weight and balance
at takeoff the airplane was more than
300 pounds overweight and three point
four inches aft of allowable CG if
indeed the pilot calculated the weight
and balance as he told his friend he had
to know the aircraft would be operating
outside its envelope
two hours after departure whether south
of the Senecas flight path has
deteriorated about 100 miles southeast
huntington airport is reporting winds
from the Northwest at three knots in 3/4
mile visibility light snow is falling
under a thousand foot overcast meanwhile
150 miles west of Huntington at
Louisville Kentucky snow is reported
with visibility varying between two and
a half and four miles and 79 miles
northeast of Huntington at Parkersburg
West Virginia light snow is falling in
four miles visibility about half an hour
later a special report is issued for
heavy snow and 1/4 mile visibility but
the pilot is unaware and continues the
flight
you
a low-pressure system associated with a
crippling ice storm gripping Eastern
Texas northern Arkansas and Kentucky
earlier in the week had begun tracking
northeast pumping warm moist air on top
of the colder airmass that was already
in place from midnight through 6:00 a.m.
light snow had been reported in a
widespread area west and east of the
route radar for that period showed bands
of precipitation moving from Michigan
and Illinois into Indiana Ohio Kentucky
West Virginia and Pennsylvania at
departure Chicago and Raleigh reported
ten miles visibility and clear skies but
the weather system that prevailed
overnight continued into the day in
spite of some scattered VFR areas the
good weather reported for Raleigh and
the first half of the 500-mile route
might have lulled the non
instrument-rated pilot into a false
belief that VFR prevailed along the
entire route that morning
whatever the reason he did not contact
flight service as planned a grave
mistake considering the nasty weather in
store
you
three hours into the flight November 8 0
4 7 Charlie catches up with the weather
and marginal visual conditions give way
to IMC the pilot now in over his head
has trouble controlling the airplane
near tri-state Airport in Huntington
West Virginia the airplane becomes
critically low on fuel it is snowing
the ceiling is 1,000 foot broken and the
visibility is 2 miles my date my date
made it so the car is 0 for 7 traveling
with I'm flying VFR and I roll this fuel
and I need to help
you
the pilot finally reached out for help
but by then it was already too late the
NTSB determined the airplane was using
24 gallons of fuel per hour if the tanks
were full at takeoff they would run dry
after 3 hours and 45 minutes
even before the Mayday call the
situation was grim as fuel became an
issue and clear skies gave way to
increasing clouds
the pilot quickly ran out of options
Stud running in mountainous terrain in
search of fuel
so therefore 7-charles radar contact
eight miles south east of the huntington
airport the Class B airspace is IFR at
this time the say 1,000 broken there's
buddy two miles with light snow if you
give me a back foot strike on the land
over though Sarika four seven surely you
capable of IFR flight yes and Seneca
four seven Charlie would like and ifr
clearance to the Huntington Airport
yes please so two four seven charlie
squawks zero one six three
could you tell me whether they had a
cook behind me
so therefore essentially affirmative the
airport is behind you about three miles
okay I can tell you see the Kahala right
now Seneca 47 sharp Seneca 47 Charlie
low altitude alert make sure you
maintain ground contacts
I love all complex tzedakah for Senator
Lee you're about a mile and a half final
for runway three zero it's about two
o'clock and a mile and a half and Seneca
for Cemetery you're going back and forth
it's a falcon 11 ten o'clock eleven
o'clock now and one
you know how long I can go so the four
cents earlier below my minimum vectoring
altitude now the field elevation is 820
and Seneca for seven Charlie on your
current heading you're about to fly over
the airport now you still have ground
contact night before century how much
fuel do you have now not much circa four
seven Charlie climb and maintain me to
climb up in the maintain 2,500 and we'll
give you a surveillance approach to
runway 3-0 maintain 2,500 and fly a
heading of one seven zero the Seneca is
switched over to a different controller
for the surveillance approach Seneca for
seven Charlie this is your Huntington
final controller hear me okay I hear
they own and of course haven't tried to
Roger understand this B vector to the
surveillance final approach course
throwing away three yield speed no gyro
approach I just give you turns the
publish minimum descent altitude I gave
you a momentarily when you're able to
turn the left extend half standard rate
left heard Santa Kippur seven-shot are
you're correcting nicely now stop your
turn stop the turn the wings level and
maintain 2500 said of course 7 charlie
again if you hear Huntington ident
you're still in the turn stop turn go
wings level Seneca four seven Charlie go
wings level and hold one heading Seneca
four seven Charlie in that heading 1 to
zero sliding one to jump low altitude
alert checked out davidís trees there
their own thing once is it a genocide
what signs of it the controller attempts
to keep the pilot on a heading and
altitude but the pilot has trouble
complying I think it approaches here
could you give me a back foot for the
output Roger I'm going to tell you on
about a four mile final so you have a
straight into visibility is not real
good at anything on account of snow in
Seneca for seven Charlie nobody three
zero does not have approach lights on it
but the runway has been broomed and
plowed you'll see the dark strip in the
snow and the runway lights are up all
the way
Tonica four seven Charlie heading a03
zefnep left turn heading a zero three
zero you appear to be in a right turn
again heading a zero three zero when
you're able it's like a little presume
after numerous heading and altitude
Corrections the controller attempts one
final line up of the Seneca for runway
3-0 now descend to your minimum descent
altitude the publish men of G sine alpha
Q's one three zero zero maintain at
least 1,300 or above 1,300 do not
descend below 1300 1300 or setting three
zero zero three zero zero turn right in
a right turn turn right getting three
two zero three twenty three two zero in
a right turn good up hitting a three one
zero rollout heading three zero zero not
heading three zero zero you're now going
the wrong way
heading is three zero zero climb that's
where you have VFR contact for the
ground I see you're ended gallop it
indicates you're climbing
sanika 47 charlie medica 47 Charlie had
a year Seneca force that macaulay
Hanukkah de Burgh did you hear me I'd in
Seneca 47 Charlie rid of contact is long
Seneca for seven Charlie's hiked average
in the blind if you hear me climb
immediately climb and maintain at least
2900 Seneca for seven Charlie do you
hear me
ident progression for Center Charlie if
you hear me please respond
the NTSB offered these sobering facts in
their preliminary investigation on
January 30th 2009 at 1336 Eastern
Standard Time a piper pa-31 turbo
November 8 0 4 7 charlie was destroyed
when it struck high-tension power lines
and collided with terrain while
maneuvering for landing at the
Huntington tri-state Airport the
certificated private pilot a
certificated student pilot and four
passengers were fatally injured
instrument meteorological conditions
prevailed
unfortunately no amount of analysis can
change the outcome of this accident but
even though few of us would think of
launching on a 500-mile VFR
cross-country over mountains without a
preflight briefing or a check of the
weather and route we can still take
important lessons from this tragedy ask
yourself have I ever let external
pressure influence me to hurry up take
shortcuts or press on
have I ever pushed fuel reserves to the
limits am I really prepared to turn
around or land when the weather does not
cooperate do I know and respect the
limitations of my own piloting skill and
experience heed the warning signs act on
them and avoid tragedy