Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 30 June 1999
Aircraft Type: Beechcraft 99 Airliner
Owner/operator: Nightexpress
Registration Number: D-IBEX
Location: Seraing – ÿ Belgium
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Component Affected: Aircraft Engine(s)Aircraft Engine(s)
Investigating Agency: BFUBFU
Category: Accident
A Beechcraft 99, Nightexpress Flight 114, experienced a catastrophic crash during a nighttime flight to Frankfurt. The aircraft failed both engines, leading to a request for radar guidance and a planned descent to FL60. The crew, following ATC Brussels Approach, was instructed to maintain a 60-degree course and descend to 4000 feet. However, the pilots refused to comply with this instruction, resulting in a rapid descent through 1700 feet and a crash into a wooded area. The aircraft caught fire.A Beechcraft 99, Nightexpress Flight 114, experienced a catastrophic crash during a nighttime flight to Frankfurt. The aircraft failed both engines, leading to a request for radar guidance and a planned descent to FL60. The crew, following ATC Brussels Approach, was instructed to maintain a 60-degree course and descend to 4000 feet. However, the pilots refused to comply with this instruction, resulting in a rapid descent through 1700 feet and a crash into a wooded area. The aircraft caught fire.

Description

Nightexpress Flight 114, a Beechcraft 99, departed Luton Airport at 01:25 UTC for a flight to Frankfurt. The aircraft carried 733 kg cargo. Failure of both engines caused the pilot at 02:34 UTC to request radar guidance to the nearest airport. The crew were told to maintain a course of 60 degrees and was cleared to descend to FL60. The crew switched to ATC Brussels Approach and were cleared to descend further. LiŠge runway 23L was available for landing and Brussels Approach told the crew to maintain 4000 feet. The Beech 99 crew replied that this was not possible because both engines were not operating and they asked for a direct course to LiŠge. Brussels Approach directed the flight to head 320 degrees. Last radio contact was at 02:40:40 UTC when the crew reported descending through 1700 feet and asked their distance to the runway, which was 5nm. The aircraft crashed into the woods a few hundred meters from a residential area and caught fire. The failure of both engines was caused by a lack of maintenance. The crew did not follow company regulations and a misunderstanding between the crew and ATC contributed to the accident, as did the darkness.

Primary Cause

Lack of maintenance and miscommunication between the crew and ATC, specifically a failure to follow company regulations and a misunderstanding regarding the intended landing approach.Lack of maintenance and miscommunication between the crew and ATC, specifically a failure to follow company regulations and a misunderstanding regarding the intended landing approach.

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