Incident Overview
Description
A Beech B100 King Air, N729MS, registered to Mazak Properties, and operated by a private pilot, impacted terrain after encountering severe weather near Benavides, Texas. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot and three passengers received fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. The flight departed Garner Field Airport (KUVA) Uvalde, Texas, and was destined for Leesburg International Airport (KLEE), Leesburg, Florida. The pilot obtained three weather briefings before departure. At that time, the current weather along the route of flight showed significant convective activity and a moving squall line, and the forecast predicted significant thunderstorm activity along the planned route of flight. The pilot was concerned about the weather and mentioned that he would be looking for “holes” in the weather to manoeuvre around via the use of his on-board weather radar. He decided to fly a route further south to avoid the severe weather. Radar data indicates that, after departure, the pilot flew a southerly course that was west of the severe weather before he asked air traffic control for a 150-degree heading that would direct him toward a “hole” in the weather. A controller, who said he also saw a “hole” in the weather, told the pilot to fly a 120-degree heading and proceed direct to a fix along his route of flight. The airplane flew into a line of very heavy to intense thunderstorms during cruise flight at 25,000 feet before the airplane began to lose altitude and reverse course. The airplane then entered a rapid descent, broke up in flight, and subsequently impacted terrain. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The pilot’s failure to avoid severe weather, and the air traffic controller’s failure to provide adverse weather avoidance assistance, as required by Federal Aviation Administration directives, both of which led to the airplane’s encounter with a severe thunderstorm and the subsequent loss of control and inflight breakup of the airplane.”
Primary Cause
Failure to avoid severe weather and inadequate adverse weather avoidance by air traffic control.Failure to avoid severe weather and inadequate adverse weather avoidance by air traffic control.Share on:
