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Crash of a Beechcraft E90 King Air in Slidell

Date & Time: Nov 6, 2022 at 2145 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N809DM
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Nashville – Slidell
MSN:
LW-334
YOM:
1980
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
4800
Captain / Total hours on type:
325.00
Aircraft flight hours:
7111
Circumstances:
The pilot flew a visual approach to his home airport but did a go-around due to ground fog. After receiving an instrument flight rules clearance, he flew an RNAV/GPS approach that he also discontinued due to ground fog. After executing a missed approach, the pilot flew another RNAV/GPS approach. The pilot reported that during this last approach he lost visual references and initiated a go-around, during which the airplane impacted trees about 800 ft to the right of the runway. The main wreckage came to rest upright and was consumed by a post-impact fire. The postaccident examination revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he observed the right engine was slower to accelerate than the left engine during the attempted go-around, and that he was distracted looking at the engine indications. He reported that he did not notice if the airplane yaw to the right and, before he could correct for the altitude loss, the airplane descended into and struck the trees.
Probable cause:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during an attempted go-around in low visibility conditions.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft 65-A90-1 King Air in Slidell: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 19, 2016 at 2115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N7MC
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Slidell - Slidell
MSN:
LM-106
YOM:
1968
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
18163
Captain / Total hours on type:
614.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
7769
Copilot / Total hours on type:
22
Aircraft flight hours:
15208
Circumstances:
The airline transport pilot and commercial copilot were conducting a mosquito abatement application flight. Although flight controls were installed in both positions, the pilot typically operated the airplane. During a night, visual approach to landing at their home airfield, the airplane was on the left base leg and overshot the runway's extended centerline and collided with 80-ft-tall power transmission towers and then impacted terrain. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Both pilots were experienced with night operations, especially at their home airport. The pilot had conducted operations at the airport for 14 years and the copilot for 31 years, which might have led to crew complacency on the approach . Adequate visibility and moon disk illumination were available; however, the area preceding the runway is a marsh and lacks cultural lighting, which can result in black-hole conditions in which pilots may perceive the airplane to be higher than it actually is while conducting an approach visually. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot experiencing the black hole illusion which contributed to him flying an approach profile that was too low for the distance remaining to the runway. It is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate crosscheck of his altimeter and radar altimeter during the approach and that the copilot did not monitor the airplane's progress; thus, the flight crew did not recognize that they were not maintaining a safe approach path. Further, it is likely that neither pilot used the visual glidepath indicator at the airport, which is intended to be a countermeasure against premature descent in visual conditions.
Probable cause:
The unstable approach in black-hole conditions, resulting in the airplane overshooting the runway extended centerline and descending well below a safe glidepath for the runway. Contributing to the accident was the lack of monitoring by the copilot allowing the pilot to fly well below a normal glidepath.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III in the Gulf of Mexico: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 19, 2012 at 1208 LT
Operator:
Registration:
N48DL
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Slidell - Sarasota
MSN:
421C-0511
YOM:
1978
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
2350
Aircraft flight hours:
4659
Circumstances:
According to a statement provided by the Jacksonville Center air traffic control (ATC) facility, the pilot contacted ATC while at flight level 270. About 25 minutes later, the airplane began to deviate from the ATC-assigned altitude and route. The controller’s attempts to contact the pilot were unsuccessful. The North American Aerospace Defense Command launched military fighter aircraft to intercept the airplane. The military pilots reported that the airplane was circling in a left turn at a high altitude and low airspeed and that its windows were partially frosted over. They also reported that the pilot was slumped over in the cockpit and not moving. They fired flares, and the pilot continued to be unresponsive. The airplane circled for about 3 hours before it descended into the Gulf of Mexico and sank. The pilot and airplane were not recovered. Review of the pilot’s Federal Aviation Administration medical records did not reveal any recent medical conditions that would have deemed him unfit to fly.
Probable cause:
Pilot incapacitation, which resulted in the pilot’s inability to maintain airplane control and the airplane’s subsequent ocean impact.
Final Report:

Crash of a Morane-Saulnier M.S.760A Paris II in Evadale: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 3, 1969 at 2130 LT
Operator:
Registration:
N760M
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Evadale - Slidell
MSN:
49
YOM:
1959
Location:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
590
Captain / Total hours on type:
79.00
Circumstances:
After rotation at Evadale Airport, while in initial climb, the airplane struck 50 feet tall trees and crashed 1,000 feet past the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and all four occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Inadequate preflight preparation on part of the crew who misjudged clearance.
Final Report: