HOPKINSVILLE, KY, USA
N39595
Piper PA-44-180
THE PILOT INITIATED A LOCALIZER APPROACH TO RUNWAY 26. A WITNESS SAW THE AIRPLANE 'FLYING LOW... [AND] HIT A POWERLINE.' THE PILOT STATED THAT HE 'SAW THE RUNWAY LIGHTS MOMENTARILY BUT THEN THEY DISAPPEARED...THERE WAS A BRIGHT FLASH OF LIGHT AT OR ON TOP OF MY RIGHT WING...' THE AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVATION SYSTEM REPORTED THE WEATHER AS: -X 3 BKN 10 OVC 3/4 50/59/000/027. THE PUBLISHED MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE FOR THAT APPROACH WAS 500 FEET. THE POWER LINE THAT THE AIRPLANE STRUCK WAS 4441 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY.
On Thursday, December 2, 1993, at 1927 central standard time, a Piper PA-44-180, N39595, registered to and piloted by Henry C. Clayton, sustained substantial damage during an approach to the Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91. The airplane departed Charlotte, North Carolina at 1645 eastern standard time. After completing the enroute flight and descent, the pilot was vectored for a non-precision localizer approach to runway 26 at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport (1M8). During this approach, the airplane struck power lines, trees and came to rest 2481 feet from the end of the runway. Tennessee Valley Authority repair crews measured the distance from the severed power lines to the end of runway 26. This distance was 4441 feet. During the approach, the pilot contacted Campbell Army Radar Approach Control (ARAC), which controls approaches into 1M8. Fort Campbell is located approximately 8 miles south, southwest of 1M8. ARAC advised the pilot that the current weather at Fort Campbell was: "two hundred scattered measured ceiling five hundred overcast visibility one and one half with light drizzle and fog winds calm the altimeter three zero two six and our tower visibility about half mile..." The pilot was asked by the approach controller, "...have you checked in up at Christian County on their weather." The pilot of N39595 responded, "Yes I have their calling it a mile and a quarter right now with three hundred scattered and one thousand overcast." An Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS-3) was in operation at 1M8, and the 1845 AWOS reported the weather as follows: -X 3BKN 10 OVC 3/4 50/49/000/027 (partial obscuration, 300 foot broken, 1000 foot overcast, 3/4 mile visibility, temperature 50 degrees F, dew point 49 degrees F, winds calm, altimeter 30.27.) The published Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) for the localizer runway 26 approach at 1M8 for the period November 11, 1993, until January 6, 1994 was: 500 feet. A witness stated: "...I saw an airplane coming across the sky--it was real low...I thought that it was too low...the engines were making a funny noise...it hit the power line/pole. The sky lite up..." In his report, the pilot stated: ...I observed the airport runway lights momentarily, and then they disappeared. At approximately the same time, I saw a bright flash of light at or on top of my right wing. ...I had started my missed approach...The engines apparently hadn't responded when I applied power, and we started rolling on the ground...
the pilot's improper IFR procedure by conducting flight below minimum descent altitude (MDA) without visual referece which resulted in an inflight collision with wires. A factor was the wire.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
