Incident Overview
Date: Friday 15 August 1958
Aircraft Type: Convair CV-240-2
Owner/operator: Northeast Airlines
Registration Number: N90670
Location: 0,4 km NE of Nantucket Memorial Airport, MA (ACK) –
ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 25 / Occupants: 34
Component Affected: AircraftAircraft
Investigating Agency: CABCAB
Category: Accident
An aircraft experienced a sudden and catastrophic loss of situational awareness due to heavy fog, resulting in a ground impact. The pilot’s failure to abandon the approach and descend to a dangerously low altitude contributed to the incident.An aircraft experienced a sudden and catastrophic loss of situational awareness due to heavy fog, resulting in a ground impact. The pilot’s failure to abandon the approach and descend to a dangerously low altitude contributed to the incident.
Description
The aircraft, on a VOR instrument approach to runway 24, suddenly entered a heavy fog bank. The crew lost sight of the runway and ground; the aircraft struck the ground 1450 feet short of the runway and 600 feet to the right of the extended centerline. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the deficient judgment and technique of the pilot during an instrument approach in adverse weather conditions in failing to abandon the approach when a visibility of one-eights mile was reported, and descending to a dangerously low altitude while still a considerable distance from the runway.”
Primary Cause
Pilot judgment and technique failure during an instrument approach in adverse weather conditions, leading to a lack of awareness and subsequent ground impact.Pilot judgment and technique failure during an instrument approach in adverse weather conditions, leading to a lack of awareness and subsequent ground impact.Share on:
