Accident Cessna 411A N100KC,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 8761
 
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Date:Sunday 12 January 1975
Time:19:50
Type:Silhouette image of generic C411 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 411A
Owner/operator:Jatkoe
Registration: N100KC
MSN: 411-0296
Fatalities:Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Wise, VA -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Savannah, Georgia
Destination airport:Pontiac, MI
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The Cessna 411A crashed near Wise, Virginia, while operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan from Savannah, Georgia, en route to Pontiac, Michigan. Aboard the aircraft were the pilot, his wife and five children. All received fatal injuries in the crash which occurred when the aircraft collided with mountainous terrain during night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in an area where freezing rain generally prevailed.

The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of this accident revealed that the pilot of N100KC, after a series of radio communications with ATC about icing, an engine problem, the aircraft's climb performance, and severe vibrations encountered, advised the controller, "100KC has got extreme vibration again and you had better lead me to an airport."
After a short discussion concerning two airports about 15 miles ahead of the aircraft the pilot stated "...lead me somewhere. Can I get in there without an approach or what?" The controller interpreted the pilot's response as a request to proceed to the nearest airport with an instrument approach and replied as follows: " ... for your information .." the closest airport with an instrument approach is in your ... make it 5 o'clock position and about 21 miles." The pilot responded, "OK what State is that in and give me the name of the airport." A series of communications followed in which pertinent information on the airport (Lonesome Pine), as requested by the pilot, was provided including radar vectors to the Lonesome Pine VOR and a clearance for an approach to that airport.
While on a vector to the Lonesome Pine VOR the pilot requested the Lonesome Pine weather. The controller advised, "the nearest station that I can get weather for you is the Tri-City Airport. It's about 30 miles due south of Lonesome Pine Airport. Their weather is measured one six thousand broken correction one thousand six hundred broken, four thousand overcast, seven miles, and light rain." The pilot of N100KC acknowledged this transmission as follows: "Hundred K C is going down sir."
This flight subsequently executed a VOR approach procedure followed by a missed approach procedure because visual contact with the airport could not be established. The pilot requested a clearance to another airport and the flight was cleared to the Tri-City Airport to fly a heading of 180°, to climb and maintain 6,000 feet, the minimum safe en route altitude.
Several minutes later the pilot advised the controller that the aircraft could not climb above 3,300 feet. Because of communications problems controller personnel were unable to effect a planned course of action vector the aircraft clear of terrain exceeding 3,000 ft. The flight crashed while on a vector heading of 240' at an elevation of 3,290 feet.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: IAD75AI042
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 3 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
25-Feb-2008 12:00 ASN archive Added
30-Apr-2019 08:39 harro Updated [Operator, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]
11-Mar-2020 12:07 harro Updated [Operator, Accident report, ]

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