Massachusetts

During landing the aircraft impacted hard and skidded down the runway before it went off the left side of the runway. The left main wheel separated and the nose gear collapsed. Both pilots stated the landing approach was normal until the aircraft was approximately 15 feet above the runway at which time the aircraft abruptly descended and impacted hard with the runway. Prior to the impact, the aircraft was configured with 20° of flaps and landing gear was down and locked. The airspeed was 105 knots. Examination of the aircraft disclosed that the aft main gear doors were open and the nose down lock limit switch was defective. The switch is required to close the aft main gear door. The flight test by the mfg determined that opened aft main gear door has none to unnoticeable effect on stall speed. Aircraft speed at touchdown based on computations from prop slash marks was 86 knots. The stall speed of aircraft at prevailing weight and flaps configuration is below this speed, the aircraft weight was approximately 9,000 lbs.

Aircraft collided with trees during final approach to runway 24. No evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunction of the aircraft was found. Reported weather at crash site indefinite 100 feet sky obscured. RVR 2,400 feet. Aircraft should have encountered a decreasing headwind and probably moderate turbulence on the final descent. The aircraft was destroyed and all eight occupants were injured, three seriously.

During arrival, the flight was cleared for an ILS/DME approach to runway 27. While on the approach, the aircraft crashed in the ocean about 2.7 miles east of the runway threshold. The pilot reported that he was making the approach, using instruments, and landed short for unknown reasons. He received a serious head injury, but was rescued by fishermen who heard the aircraft crash and went to where they heard the voices of the victims in the fog. The 0835 weather at Boston was in part: partial obscuration, 25,000 feet overcast, 4 miles visibility with fog and haze, wind from 140° at 7 knots. Other pilots reported low ceilings and a fog bank in the vicinity of the crash site. The captain survived while the copilot died.

At 1145 the pilot reported VFR conditions and requested radar vectors to the airport. He was issued a cruise clearance of 5,000 feet and given a heading. 18 miles from the airport he reported visual contact with the ground. At 1151 he was asked if he was familiar with the area to which he responded negative. He was then advised of rising terrain in all quadrants, including a mountain '...to almost 3,700 feet, three miles south of the airport.' At 1154 the pilot was advised that the airport was less than a mile at 12 o'clock. The aircraft impacted a mountain two miles south of the airport at about 2,700 feet msl. A witness described the sky conditions as a low ceiling with clouds obscuring the mountain peaks. The airport is uncontrolled and has no published instrument approach procedure. Both occupants were killed.

Following a non-precision instrument approach to runway 15R at Boston-Logan International Airport, the airplane touched down about 2,800 feet beyond the displaced threshold of the 9,191-foot usable part of the runway. About 1936:40, the airplane veered to avoid the approach light pier at the departure end of the runway and slid into the shallow water of Boston Harbor. The nose section separated from the fuselage in the impact after the airplane dropped from the shore embankment. Of the 212 persons on board, 2 persons are missing and presumed dead. The other persons onboard evacuated the airplane safely, some with injuries.

Shortly after takeoff from Hyannis-Barnstable Airport, while on a cargo flight to Nantucket, the twin engine airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed. Both occupants were killed.

On approach to Tewksbury-Tew Mac Airport, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility. While inbound from local VOR, the pilot was supposed to follow 224° heading to Tew Mac Airfield but mistakenly followed the 244° heading. In limited visibility due to low ceiling, rain and fog, the twin engine airplane struck a radio tower and crashed, bursting into flames. Both occupants were killed.

The four engine airplane departed Boston-Logan Airport runway 33L at 1408LT on a cargo flight to Luton via Shannon, carrying eight occupants and a load of computers. Initial climb was completed in poor weather conditions with a visibility reduced to 800 meters due to snow showers, fog and also severe icing conditions. At an altitude of 1,700 feet, the airplane started an uncontrolled descent then contacted trees and crashed in a wooded area located in Billerica, about 17 miles northwest of Boston-Logan Airport. A crew member was seriously injured while seven other occupants were killed.

Before loading the aircraft for takeoff from LaGuardia, the flight crew checked the enroute weather for the return flight to Hyannis and learned that a landing at the en route stop at New Bedford might not be possible. When they were advised of the weather situation, the passengers destined for New Bedford decided to remain in LaGuardia. At 2132, flight 248 departed LaGuardia for Hyannis on the last leg of the day. There were eight passengers and two flight crew members aboard. According to the first officer's and a passenger's testimony at the public hearing during the investigation of the accident, flight 248 was normal until the approach for landing at Hyannis. At 2234:08, flight 248 contacted Otis Approach Control and reported level at 5,000 feet. At 2239:05, the flight was given the current Hyannis weather which included an indefinite ceiling of 200 feet, sky obscured, visibility 3/4 mile in fog, wind 210° at 10 knots. It also included a visibility of 1 1/8 in light drizzle on runway 24. At 2244:36, flight 248 was 4 nmi north-northeast of the outer marker when Otis Approach Control gave the flight a vector of 210° to intercept the localizer at 1,700 feet for an ILS approach to runway 24 at the Barnstable Airport. At 2245:34, flight 248 was instructed to contact the Barnstable Airport tower. About 2247, the flight complied with this request and reported crossing the outer marker. The flight was cleared to land, however, no further transmissions were heard form the aircraft. The Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center (Boston Center) was able to track flight 248 to within 2.8 nmi of the intended touchdown point on runway 24. Boston Center's computer printout showed the flight's position at 2246:51 about 0.35 nmi northeast of the ILS outer marker at 1,700 feet. It also showed the flight about 0.15 nmi southwest of the outer marker at 1,500 feet at 2247:03. The last radar position shown for the flight was about 1.1 nmi southwest of the outer marker at 2247:27 at 1,100 feet. The first officer stated that the captain was flying the aircraft during the approach to Hyannis. He said that he made the following callouts: localizer alive, outer marker, 500 feet above, 200 feet above, 100 feet above, minimums, and 100 feet below. He said that the captain did not acknowledge any of these calls. The first officer said that when he called 'minimums', the aircraft was one dot below the ILS glidepath. The first officer said that it appeared that the aircraft was in a continual descent without any excessive sink rates or descent angles from 5,000 feet until impact, with the airspeed near 130 knots for the entire approach. He stated that, as he called '100 feet below', he looked outside the cockpit because he believed that the captain had the approach lights in sight. The first officer said that he did not see the ground before the aircraft crashed about 2248 into a heavily wooded area located 1.5 nmi from the approach end of runway 24, on the runway centerline extended. The accident occurred during the hours of darkness. The captain was killed while all other occupants were injured, some of them seriously.

While in cruising altitude in good weather conditions, en route from Boston to Syracuse, the twin engine airplane collided with a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain owned by the Tamposi-Nash Real Estate Group and registered N33TN. En route from Concord to White Plains, it was carrying two passengers and one pilot. Following the collision, both aircraft entered a dive and crashed near Templeton. Both aircraft were destroyed and all five occupants were killed.