BESSEMER, AL, USA
N4827W
Rockwell 114
THE FLIGHT WAS CLEARED FOR THE RUNWAY FIVE APPROACH. CURRENT WEATHER HAD BEEN ISSUED WHICH INCLUDED THE ALTIMETER SETTING FOR BIRMINGHAM. NO MECHANICAL PROBLEM HAD BEEN REPORTED AND THE FLIGHT APPEARED NORMAL. THE LAST RADAR HIT INDICATED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS AT 1300 FEET EARLY IN THE APPROACH. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT FOUR MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT. IMPACT OCCURRED WITH THE TOPS OF TREES THAT WERE IN A VALLEY ABOUT 200 FEET BELOW THE AIRPORT ELEVATION. WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER A 350 FOOT AREA AND DIAGONAL SLASH MARKS WERE FOUND ON TREE LIMBS THROUGHOUT THE AREA. THE AIRPORT ELEVATION WAS 699 FEET. MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) FOR THE APPROACH WAS 1260 FEET. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND.
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR) AND MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) DURING THE VOR APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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