Maule M-7-235C N199BF

Summary

On 21 August 2011 at about 19:12 local time, a Maule M-7-235C registered N199BF was involved in an accident near Brookings, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 August 2011 at 19:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Brookings, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Brookings Airport (BOK)

Coordinates

42.0714, -124.2872

Aircraft

Maule M-7-235C

Registration

N199BF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Brookings

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11FA395

1 person died.

The pilot’s improper decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees while on approach for landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying the newly purchased airplane on a cross-country flight under visual flight rules (VFR); the pilot had not filed a VFR flight plan. As he neared his intermediate destination airport, the pilot obtained an in-flight weather briefing, which indicated that airmen's meteorological information (AIRMET) Sierra for instrument meteorological conditions was active and included the arrival airport and surrounding area. The AIRMET reported ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibility below 3 statute miles in broken conditions. The destination airport, located about 1 mile south of the accident site, reported visibility less than 1/4 statute mile, fog, and ceiling overcast at 200 feet. The pilot had not filed an instrument flight rules flight plan. It is likely that the pilot's visibility was obscured by clouds and that he did not realize how low he was flying while on approach to the airport. One witness reported seeing and hearing the airplane circling overhead while it was on approach to the airport and then hearing impact sounds. One witness reported seeing the airplane descend out of the cloud base, which he estimated was about 170 feet above the surface. He observed the airplane bank right, strike a tree, cartwheel, strike another tree, and then hit the ground. Another witness stated that she saw the airplane strike a tree and that, at the time, there was "a little fog." A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.