Tromsness TURBINE LE N747CT

Summary

On 28 April 2008 at about 19:30 local time, a Tromsness TURBINE LE registered N747CT, operated by Tromsness Enterprises Inc, was involved in an accident near Miami, Oklahoma, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 April 2008 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Miami, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Miami Municipal Airport (KMIO)

Coordinates

36.9056, -94.8858

Aircraft

Tromsness TURBINE LE

Registration

N747CT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Tromsness Enterprises Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Miami → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

NTSB number

DFW08LA121

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident included his extensive use of medications and/or his multiple medical conditions and the failure of the FAA to follow up on his reported medication use.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after departure, the single-engine, turbo propeller equipped airplane was observed in a spiraling descent before it impacted the center median of a major interstate and exploded. An on-scene examination of the airplane revealed that the only identifiable parts of the airplane that remained were the propeller, the engine, a flap, a section of the vertical stabilizer, the elevator, the landing gear and both wing spars. The three-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine; however, one blade had separated from the hub. Examination of the blades revealed that they were curled aft, exhibited leading edge damage and deep gouging from impact with the concrete barrier. The pilot had a history of anxiety, depression, muscle pain, severe headaches, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and memory loss, and had recently and regularly been using multiple prescription medications, including three medications for pain, two antidepressants, and a sleep aid, each of which had the potential to adversely affect performance. The pilot was likely suffering from medication-overuse headache, in which overly frequent use of pain medications to control intermittent migraine or tension headaches over time results in a continuous or very frequently recurring headache; his medication combination may have substantially increased his risk for seizure activity; and his OSA may have raised the likelihood of accident involvement. The pilot had not admitted to most of the medications he was using or the medical conditions with which he had been diagnosed on his applications for airman medical certificate, though on one application the pilot had indicated occasional use of a prescription pain medication, and no additional detail was pursued by the FAA.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.