MORGANTOWN, WV, USA
N3552R
BEECH A23
THE PILOT WAS EXECUTING THE ILS RWY 18 APPROACH AND STRUCK TREES 3 MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY AT APPROXIMATELY AIRPORT ELEVATION HEIGHT. WHEN INTERVIEWED, HE SAID THAT DUE TO THE FOG HE WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE FOR THE AIRPORT AND WHEN HE LOOKED BACK INSIDE HE REALIZED HE WAS LOW. HE SAID THAT WHEN HE ADDED POWER, THE AIRPLANE WAS ALREADY IN THE TREES.
On Wednesday, August 18, 1993, at 0557 eastern daylight time, a Beech A23, N3552R, owned and operated by Benjamin F. Roush, of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, struck rising terrain while executing an ILS approach to Morgantown, West Virginia, airport for a landing. The pilot received serious injuries and the airplane received substantial damage. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and the pilot was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan in accordance with 14 CFR 91. In the NTSB Accident Report, the pilot stated that while on final approach: ...looked at the approach plate to redetermine DH [Decision Height] 1440' [feet] and the next few seconds I heard slap, slap, --- smack, smack, and I was on the ground. Everything seemed to be functioning properly.... According to the map supplied by the FAA, the airplane flew into rising terrain, at an altitude of 1200 feet, 3 miles from the approach end of runway 18. The published airport elevation is 1248 feet. The minimum descent altitude on the ILS approach is 1440 feet. The glide slope at Morgantown is set at 3 degrees. In a telephone interview, Mr. Kenneth Leighton, of the Charleston, West Virginia, Flight Standards District Office said he traveled to the accident site. He said the onsite evidence indicated the engine was developing power while the airplane traveled through the trees. In addition, he said when he interviewed the pilot in the hospital, the pilot said he was looking outside the airplane for the airport and when he looked inside, he realized he was too low and added power, however, he was too late and was already in the trees. Although there is no record of the pilot checking weather prior to departure, according to the FAA Supplied transcript, he did receive, and acknowledged, the current Morgantown weather of an indefinite ceiling of 200 feet, sky obscured, visibility 2 miles with fog.
The pilot's failure to follow IFR procedures in which he descended below the decision height without visual detection of the runway. Factors are the fog conditions, trees and the pilot's inattention to altitude.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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