Incident Overview
Date: Saturday 9 May 1970
Aircraft Type: Learjet 23
Owner/operator: Executive Jet Aviation
Registration Number: N434EJ
Location: 4,4 km SW of Pellston-Emmet County Airport, MI (PLN) –
ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Investigating Agency: NTSBNTSB
Category: Accident
Description
Crashed into trees and caught fire short of the runway; illusions produced by the lack of visual cues during a circling approach over unlighted terrain at night to a runway not equipped with approach lights or other visual approach aids. PROBABLE CAUSE: “Illusions produced by the lack of visual cues during a circling approach over unlighted terrain at night to a runway not equipped with approach lights or other visual approach aids . These illusions, which made the pilot think that he was higher than his true position, were made more acceptable to him because of a strong possibility of an erroneously high indication on his altimeter.”
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