| Date: | Saturday 9 May 1970 |
| Time: | 21:28 |
| Type: | Learjet 23 |
| Owner/operator: | Executive Jet Aviation |
| Registration: | N434EJ |
| MSN: | 23-046 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1965 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3530 hours |
| Engine model: | General Electric CJ610-1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 4,4 km SW of Pellston-Emmet County Airport, MI (PLN) -
United States of America
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| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW/KDTW) |
| Destination airport: | Pellston-Emmet County Airport, MI (PLN/KPLN) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:Crashed into trees and caught fire short of the runway; illusions produced by the lack of visual cues during a circling approach over unlighted terrain at night to a runway not equipped with approach lights or other visual approach aids.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Illusions produced by the lack of visual cues during a circling approach over unlighted terrain at night to a runway not equipped with approach lights or other visual approach aids . These illusions, which made the pilot think that he was higher than his true position, were made more acceptable to him because of a strong possibility of an erroneously high indication on his altimeter."
Accident investigation:
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| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Report number: | NTSB-AAR-71-3 |
| Status: | Investigation completed |
| Duration: | 1 year and 5 months |
| Download report: | Final report
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Sources:
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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