Piper 34-200T N99ED

Summary

On 20 January 2001 at about 00:50 local time, a Piper 34-200T registered N99ED was involved in an accident near Bluefield, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 January 2001 at 00:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Bluefield, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Mercer County Airport (BLF)

Coordinates

37.2956, -81.2075

Aircraft

Piper 34-200T

Registration

N99ED

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lewisburg → Bluefield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

IAD01LA028

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to enter the correct altimeter setting, which resulted in continued flight below the decision height and a subsequent collision with trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot attempted two ILS approaches to the airport, and then was contacted by a lineman informing him that the pilot-controlled runway lights were on the low setting, and he would increase their intensity. The pilot then flew a third approach, and while looking for the lights at the decision height, the airplane impacted trees and came to rest on the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane, and stated that he may have been concentrating on "looking for the lights," while on the approach and not monitoring his altitude. The weather reported at 1952, included a visibility of 1/4 mile with fog, few clouds at 100 feet, ceiling 800 feet overcast, temperature 39 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter setting 29.78 inches of mercury. The altimeter setting noted in the airplane after the accident was 29.97. A review of the FAA ILS RWY 23 approach chart for the airport indicated that the decision height for the approach was 300 feet, and the minimum landing visibility was 1 mile. According to the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Section 7-2-3 ALTIMETER ERRORS, "If you do not reset your altimeter when flying from an area of high pressure into an area of low pressure, your aircraft will be closer to the surface than your altimeter indicates. An inch error in the altimeter setting equals 1,000 feet of altitude."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.