Cessna 414A N62950

Summary

On 26 December 2006 at about 01:30 local time, a Cessna 414A registered N62950 was involved in an accident near Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 December 2006 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Gwinnett County - Briscoe Fiel (LZU)

Coordinates

33.9678, -83.9592

Aircraft

Cessna 414A

Registration

N62950

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pahokee → Lawrenceville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL07FA030

3 people died.

The pilot's failure to follow the instrument approach procedure. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's descent below the prescribed decision height altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) personnel, the pilot was given the current weather information before attempting his first instrument approach into Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field (LZU), Lawrenceville, Georgia, which included: winds calm, visibility 1/2-mile in fog, and ceiling 100 feet. The pilot acknowledged the current weather information and elected to continue for the instrument landing system (ILS) runway-25 approach. During the first landing attempt, the pilot reported that he was going to execute a missed approach, but that he saw the airport below and wanted to attempt another approach. The ARTCC controller provided the pilot with radar vectors back to the ILS runway-25 approach and again updated the pilot with current weather conditions. During the second approach the tower controller advised the pilot that he was left of the runway-25 centerline. Shortly after the pilot acknowledged that he was left of the centerline, the tower controller saw a bright "orange glow" off of the left side of the approach end of runway 25. Although the weather conditions were below approach minimums for the runway 25-approach, the pilot elected to attempt the landing. A flight inspection of the ILS was completed on December 26, 2006, and the results of the inspection revealed that the ILS runway-25 approach system was satisfactory. Examination of the airframe, flight control system components, engines and system components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.